Prelude To A Dream
by jacobiterose
Summary: Bella is wasting away after the departure of the Cullen's, to Charlie's horror. Healing comes in an unexpected form and an unexpected way, with an unexpected person. Who will pull Bella out of the darkness and into the light and why? The answers lie within a prelude to a dream.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**The Unexpected**

Edward and Carlisle glared at each other from across the table. Esme sobbed in tearless silence. Her family was being torn apart.

"I cannot believe that I allowed it to come to this point. I have done all that I can in trying to hold this family together, but I can no longer pretend, Edward. My heart may be frozen, but my emotions and thoughts are not dead in the least and I cannot leave her alone any longer." Carlisle hung his head in the shameful, but inevitable admission.

"You stole her from me. You planned this all along, Carlisle! You know that she is my singer! You know that you are married to Esme!"

"But Edward, that's where you're wrong, son." Esme's expression was heart wrenching, but there was an edge to her expression that drew Edward out of his rage. "Carlisle and I were never married. We were never mated, Edward. We have happily been companions these many years, happy to have a family and enjoy family life, but both of us knew that this day would come in some century, some millennia. For me it's just like letting a dear friend go. Someone with whom you've experienced much of life with. Have loved, but not in the romantic sense. I'm sorry that you had to learn of it this way, but you must let him go to her, Edward. She may be your singer, but she is Carlisle's mate. It is better for you to stay away from her and for him to go. And as far as I'm concerned, I'm ashamed that I allowed you to talk me into leaving, knowing, seeing what was between them. Even I am capable of jealousy, but I see that now as a grave and terrible sin. I have kept my best friend from the truest happiness that any of us can know." Turning to Carlisle, she managed a watery smile. "Go to her. Just don't go forever. Bring her back with you, so that we might be a family again."

Esme gave Edward a pointed look as she stood up from the table. Carlisle raked his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry Edward. You are my first born, but I cannot fight the call of my heart any longer."

"What do you expect? Do you expect to just show up and tell her that she's your mate and not mine and sweep her off of her feet? What do you think that Charlie will have to say about this? You're supposed to be old enough to have graduated from Medical School in human years. How do you think that he will feel about you walking into her life, even if she would give you a second glance?" Edward spat out the last words like venom. Carlisle cringed at this harsh, but possible reality.

"All that I know is that I have to be near her and be whatever it is that she needs me to be for her. That is the only place that I know to start. If she truly is my mate, then she will realize it in time, or immediately. As for Charlie, well, I'm indestructible, and if he finds that out, then I will deal with that with kindness and diplomacy. I know nothing of Bella's feelings for me, but I do know that I cannot endure another day without knowing." Carlisle stood suddenly and left Edward sitting at the table. Rosalie stood with her back to him, looking out the window, expressionless. Emmet tried to manage a smile and clasped Carlisle in a tight hug. Alice waited by the door with a smile, his luggage ready. "Should I consider this a positive sign or are you just a wonderfully thoughtful daughter?"

"Maybe one or the other, maybe both, but as for me, I'm staying out of this one."

Jasper coughed over a laugh. "We'll see how long that lasts." He ducked as Alice swiped at his head and he pulled her into his arms. "Carlisle, I can feel that you truly love her. Take your chance or you'll never know. As for Edward", Jasper knew that he could hear each word that he said, "he's just jealous of his singer. He'll find his mate one day and understand, but all that he's capable of now is brooding. Let him go and go to your future. We will love Esme through this."

Esme stood on the stairs and managed a stronger smile now. "I am happy for you, old friend. Bring back my sister. I will always love you, Carlisle, no matter what, but we always knew that this would happen. I'm just glad that I love her so much too. I miss her. Please, send my love." Esme was pure. Her heart held no guile. She truly meant every word that she said.

Carlisle returned his oldest and dearest friend's smile, with parting emotion in his own heart. Grabbing his luggage he headed for his Mercedes and drove out of their Denali driveway.

Charlie raked up piles of the three inch deep, November leaves, trying not to look up into Bella's room yet again. He had watched her normally small stature, go to almost waifish since Edward had left her. If he wasn't the Chief of Police, he would have hunted the bastard down and hung him by now. His Bella had gone from being a very balanced, level headed, A student, to a skinny, dead eyed, C student at best. She never reached out to her friends anymore. She just romped around the house in sweats and either stared out of her bedroom window, listening to sad songs on her iPod, or watched television like a zombie. She would cook, but seemed to only go through the motions of eating pushing her food around on her plate.

Her behavior and nightmares had Charlie terrified. He considered committing her at one point, but just couldn't bring himself to do it after visiting the facility. Besides, it would take Renee's consent, too. Bella was eighteen now, but it would take two relatives to sign an order of the court to get her committed against her will. Charlie caught himself staring at Bella, staring out into space. Her face was pale and drawn and dark circles constantly resided underneath her normally sparkling brown eyes. Charlie would be willing to do just about anything to get her to snap out of it. Choking back the lump in his throat, he returned to raking leaves.

Bella sat in her room, dead to the feelings of hunger, or the nasty feeling of greasy hair. She was dead inside. Death had no place for such needs. Something had left with the Cullen's and she couldn't put her finger on it. Edward had said that he didn't want her. At first, she had grieved actively over that, but after a couple of months, as the hole in her chest refused to close, she realized that it wasn't those words that had hurt her so bad as the sudden disappearance of all of the Cullen's. Bella had sent countless rambling e-mails to Alice, as if her laptop was her own personal shrink, trying to work out this mystery that had been built around her. Trying to make sense of the fact that they would and could move out of her world, leaving her in it alone. All of them. She understood Edward's constant angst and could see him fleeing her and his pull toward her blood, but what if Esme, Carlisle, Alice, Emmet and Jasper. She knew that Rosalie would just as soon see her dead. What had her so empty, was something that she just couldn't put her finger on, but weighed her down so solidly, that she couldn't even move. She felt barren, separated from something. She felt hollow and grieved, but confused. Something wasn't right. She was going crazy, she often thought. If only her body would die and release her spirit, she thought, then there would be no more pain, but she held on. She held on for Charlie. She held on to solve the mystery that constantly had her pondering what it was that had her so distracted and grieved.

Carlisle pulled into the half-moon drive of the Forks house. It looked empty and cold without the constant activity of his family, but as he entered, he pulled dust sheets off of certain pieces of furniture that retained her smell and suddenly, he wasn't alone. Bella's presence was here. Having a flash of memory, he jumped two stories of stairs and entered his study and pulled the sheet off of the desk that she had sat on while he stitched up her arm. He placed his hands on the smooth wood, suddenly lying down on it. He closed his eyes and remembered her eyes that night as she watched him as he pulled pieces of glass out of her arm. "You couldn't possibly be damned, Carlisle. You're too good." He had known at that moment, but fought back the urge to move any closer to her. He wouldn't betray his family that way. He could control this. He may have just connected with his mate, but he wouldn't break up his family over this. Keeping Bella in the dark had seemed like the best decision at the time.

Just then, he got a page. Looking at his pager, it was a note from Alice. "Just rip off the band aid, Carlisle. It will be rough, but it's for the best. Go to her." It took no more than that. Carlisle, feeling a rush of emotion and the knowledge that he was only miles down the road from where his heart lay, had him rushing back to his car, before he even had time to think about what he was doing.

Driving at mad speeds, he suddenly found himself parked a half a block down the road from the Swan's house. He could see Chief Swan raking leaves in the side yard, wearing a flannel and a pair of jeans. In a moment of rare humanity, Carlisle rested his head on the steering wheel searching for a cue. "Just rip off the band aid, Carlisle." Rang through his head like giant peels of bells. Before he knew it, he found his hand on the door handle and his legs carrying him toward Charlie.

Charlie looked up, stunned to see Carlisle Cullen walking toward him. He immediately felt protective of Bella and walked to meet Carlisle out of Bella's range of vision from her window.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Charlie didn't mean to come across so gruff, but months of pent up emotion at Edward poured forth onto Carlisle.

"Chief Swan, I can understand your anger and I will take full responsibility for it, if it will help. You see, I am only here to help."

"How do you think that you can help, Dr. Cullen? Bella is a basket case because of your son."

"Well, Edward is not really my son, I adopted him. To be honest, I'm only twenty seven. I did it as a sort of big brother sort of thing. Actually, I'm not even married to Esme, we just teamed up to help the kids." Carlisle felt embarrassment at rambling, especially with Charlie's mouth hanging open the way that it was. Vampires were notoriously bad at information overload when it came to talking to humans. Carlisle had to shore himself, if this was going to go at all well. "I came to be here for Bella. I've taken a leave of absence and felt, well, if there was even anything medical that I could do for her, that I would be happy to spend my time doing it."

Charlie seemed to relax a bit at this. "I have to admit, I wouldn't mind a little advice when it came to Bella. She hasn't been well at all since, well, you know."

"I do know. I know that my son can be a selfish, egomaniac and that Bella got taken for one of his joyrides. I had hoped that this was not the case, as he hasn't dated much, but I see that he has left quite a mess behind. Would you please do me the honor of trying to clean some of it up?"

Charlie still looked undecided. He stood, rubbing his fingers across the stubble of his chin. Finally he spoke. "Come on inside. In all honesty, Dr. Cullen, I can use all the help that I can get."

"Thank you, Chief Swan. And please, call me Carlisle."

Charlie gave him a slight nod. "Then you can call me Charlie." Charlie extended his hand and deemed Carlisle's handshake good and firm. Charlie could pretty much make his mind up about a man by his handshake and Carlisle had a firm grip, while making eye contact. Something in him liked Carlisle, even though he didn't want to.

"Please, have a seat, I'll just go and get Bella."

"Thanks, Charlie."

Just then, Bella came rushing down the stairs, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Y-you! You left me! How could you leave me like that? You just picked up and left me here!" Bella ran to Carlisle and began slamming her fists against his chest, to which he quickly held, gently by the wrists to keep her from breaking anything.

"We left, Bella, but I am back and I promise you this. I will not leave, until you order me away."

Charlie raised an eyebrow at this remark. He felt a bit funny about that statement, but another part of his mind was summing up the fact that Carlisle was not only nine years older than his adult daughter, but very well off and a respected member of the community. He decided to let this one slide. He sat back on his heels and folded his hands in front of his chest, deciding to just watch and observe where exactly this was going to go. His money would have been on Bella giving Carlisle a black eye, but he was surprised when she finally melted into his chest, wrapping her arms around his middle and holding on to him as if he would vanish into thin air at any moment. Charlie couldn't help but notice the look in Carlisle's eyes as he tucked Bella's head under his chin and held her as she wept, great heaving sobs. Despite the tears, this was the most hopeful that he had felt for Bella in months and this had Charlie very conflicted. Carlisle lifted Bella and sat down with her, still holding her on the couch. For some strange reason, this felt like a private moment to Charlie as Bella sobbed out her pain. With one last glance at twenty seven year old, single, Carlisle Cullen, comforting his broken daughter, he awkwardly made his way into the kitchen. Not so far away that he couldn't keep an eye on the situation, but close enough that he could allow Bella the time that she needed, in private.

A whirlwind of emotions passed over Bella as she clung to Carlisle. The hole in her throbbed, but less like a fresh laceration, and more like an itchy bit of healing flesh. She didn't understand how this could be, but it had been so long since it felt like she had taken a willing breath and Carlisle felt like pure oxygen to her at the moment. She sat content, being held by him and allowed the first relief in months to wash over her. In a strange way, she felt as if it was this connection that she had missed so much. Carlisle had always been such a friend and confidant. They had spent hours discussing and debating classic authors and philosophers. It seemed like a dream to have him here and a promise with it, not to leave. Letting out a deep cleansing breath, she relaxed into a long sought dreamless sleep.

Bella awoke in the morning with a start. Sitting up quickly in bed, she felt the tears coming. A scream ripped from her throat at the renewed pain that she felt in her chest. It had all been a cruel dream. Finding it hard to breathe, she pulled the collar of her T-Shirt away from her throat, trying to give herself more room to breathe as she panicked. Her heart felt as if it would explode. "NO! Damnit!" She screamed at how her subconscious had tortured her own mind. The comfort of the dream of Carlisle melted away into a new bout of pain and emptiness. Why would she dream up such a thing as Carlisle coming back for her. Of the pain ebbing away at the feeling of his arms wrapped around her and why would her dream state choose Carlisle. Carlisle was Esme's and the father figure to the Cullen family. Sobbing, she bent over and wrapped her arms around herself, only to find that in the blink of an eye, that arms were encircling her, trying to gently pry herself from being folded in half. Suddenly she realized that it was cool arms. Solid arms. She bolted upright, afraid to yet again have her hopes crushed, but was only met with the saddened concerned face of Carlisle Cullen.

"Oh, thank God. I didn't dream you, did I? Your still here? Am I still dreaming?"

"Isabella, I told you that I wouldn't leave you now, until you ordered me away." Carlisle pulled her into his lap and tucked her securely into his embrace. Rocking her gently he soothed her panic as it began to wane. She clutched the front of his shirt and sobbed into his chest, relief washing away the fear and emptiness that had just ripped through her, wetting his shirt with her tears. He was here. He was here for her and he had vowed not to leave her until she had ordered him from his side. She was confused for a moment by this. Why would he come for her and why would he refuse to leave her when Esme was waiting for him? Why wasn't it Esme here, or Alice instead?

"Carlisle, why is it you that is here and not Esme or Alice?" Bella's voice was hoarse from her sobbing and screaming. Why did she not mind that it was Carlisle? She found that she was almost relieved, somehow that it was. Bella shook her head as thoughts bounced around in her already confused head.

"We have a lot to talk about, Bella. Right now, we need to get some nourishment into your system and then you and I are going for a walk to get some fresh air. You need to shower and get dressed. Life is not over for you, Bella and I will see to that. Let's just get you on your feet again and the rest will play itself out. I promise you this, though. I will always be here. I'm not leaving ever again and I'm sorry that I even left begin with and I have a lot of making up to do. It was all wrong and I must beg your forgiveness. I know that it may take time and that's okay, but for now, it would greatly please me to see you look after yourself."

Bella absentmindedly nodded up at him, trying to wrap her mind around all that he had just said to her. She rose on shaky legs and grabbed a pair of jeans out of her dresser and a clean shirt and quickly, a clean pair of panties. Heading for the shower, she gave him one more look over her shoulder to be sure that he wasn't just an apparition.

"I'm still here." He smiled, warming her iced over insides. "I'll be here when you get out of the shower Bella. I promise. Go get your shower and then we'll get some breakfast into you." Carlisle's calm countenance and speech almost hypnotized her. She absentmindedly nodded her head and followed his instructions like a robot and headed for the shower.

Charlie sat downstairs, and heard a stirring up the stairs. He watched in amazement as Bella approached the bathroom with a fresh change of clothes. Jeans, to say the least, not the ratty old sweats and T-Shirts that she had been wearing. Carlisle came down the stairs with a smile. "She's going to be okay now, Charlie. Just wait and see." Charlie just nodded his head, still amazed at the already significant change.

"Thank you, Carlisle."

"It's my pleasure. I have some ideas of how to help her to rehabilitate, but I'm not sure that you will find them agreeable, so we have to talk."

"I'm willing to listen to anything that you have to say, Carlisle. Thank you for bringing my Bella back." Charlie figured that anything that could continue to bring Bella back out of the dark place that she had been, would be worth considering, to say the least.


	2. Chapter 2

*A huge thank you to whoever nominated me, jacobiterose, for this year's Energize WIP Awards!

*I in no way shape or form, own these characters, or any rights to the unbelievable fortune that Stephenie Meyer is surely raking in due to the invention of these characters.

*Thanks to all of the very kind reviews and critical, that I have received. You are the reason that I find the inspiration to continue to watch this world play out in my mind. I love each and every one of you dearly.

*I in no way shape or form, own these characters, or any rights to the unbelievable fortune that Stephenie Meyer is surely raking in due to the invention of these characters.

**Chapter 2**

**Epiphany**

Bella took her time in the shower, finally calming a bit, fending off the fear that Carlisle would leave her. She was fully awake and he had made a promise to her that both baffled and thrilled her. That he would be there until she sent him away. She couldn't imagine what this promise would cost Esme, or the rest of the family. She felt a pang of guilt at this, but something in her didn't even want to consider the day that he would be gone again, but she knew that she couldn't keep him forever.

Forever? Why had that thought even passed through her mind? As she lathered her hair, she enjoyed the smell of her Herbal Essence Shampoo and the clean feeling that her former oily scalp had at being washed. She closed her eyes and her memory took her back as she relaxed under her own scalp massage.

Carlisle stood only feet from her, removing glass from her arm on the eve of her eighteenth birthday. It had probably been the fiftieth time that he had been that close to her as he had given her stitches and casts, countless times. There was something different about that moment, however. Something that made her feel ashamed and even embarrassed at the way that his closeness made her feel. She ducked her head under the deliciously hot showering water as she rinsed her shampoo away and continued to remember. She remembered his scent. It caused her to feel physical feelings that she wasn't accustomed to. Her heartbeat increased suddenly at his closeness. She studied the fine, well cut lines of his face and the shiny blonde hair that seemed to fall perfectly into place. The kindness in his eyes drew her in and for just a moment, she felt hypnotized by his presence. She quickly shook it off, chastising herself for feeling anything at all. She was too old to be developing an adolescent crush on her boyfriend's father figure, but Carlisle was just that. Edward's father figure. Not his father. Carlisle was really only about eight or nine years older than her in actual physical years. She shook her head, once again shamefully banishing these thoughts as she poured a generous amount of the Herbal Essence Conditioner in her hand, breathing in the floral fruity smell of it. She hurriedly massaged it into her long chestnut tresses, focusing on the ends of her hair, combing it through the wet strands with her fingers.

Staying back out of the spray, she grabbed the razor and began to shave her legs. So many questions floated through her mind. Why Carlisle? He had said that they had many things to discuss and she burned with curiosity as to what they were. Something was not right about all of this, yet something felt so right. It was and enigma. When Carlisle held her, it was as if the puzzle piece, the black hole that had opened in her, barely smarted. Once again, her thoughts floated to the smell of him while he held her. She thought for a minute and tried to identify it. It was intoxicating, in a manly way, like Sandalwood and, was it musk?

She finished shaving her other areas and once again ducked her head under the water to rinse her conditioner out thoroughly and wash the days of oil and grime from her body. She had to admit, she was beginning to feel new again. Smooth legs, clean body, clean and conditioned hair. Finishing up her ministrations, she turned off the shower and grabbed a towel off of the towel bar, starting with her head, she worked her way down. As she dried herself, she could hear the hum of Charlie and Carlisle's voices downstairs. She stepped out of the bath and slipped on her panties, jeans, bra and purple T-Shirt. Grabbing the blow dryer, she only dried her hair half way, feeling an urgency to be downstairs again, as the pleasant odors of pancakes and bacon actually pulled at her senses, causing her to feel hunger for the first time in so long. Suddenly, she realized that she had the will to live, as these were feelings of life. Longing for food, cleanliness and a need to hug both Charlie and Carlisle. Physical touch. Oh, how she had missed the absence of it, but didn't even realize it.

Running the brush through her mostly dry hair, she started to leave the bathroom, but took a double take of herself in the mirror. Not really understanding the sudden urge, she reached for her small makeup bag under the sink. Quickly, she put some silvery grey eye shadow on and a coating of mascara. She quickly put just a touch of blush on and some slightly tinted lip gloss. She reasoned with herself that it was just good to feel alive again, but some place in her heart, that she wouldn't allow to speak, knew that it was because she didn't want to look frumpy in front of Carlisle. "What are you doing, Swan?" She asked aloud to herself. Why was she acting this way?

Finally, Bella was ready to head downstairs, enjoying the lightness of her mood. It felt as if she had been just freed from being trapped in cement for nine months. She hopped down the stairs and into the kitchen, stopping to hug Charlie and kiss him on the cheek. Charlie sat aghast at this.

"Where's my daughter and what have you done with her?" Charlie joked. Bella smiled back.

"Sorry, Dad, I just feel, well, I feel this morning, for the first time in a long time and I'm starving." She waltzed over to Carlisle, who, to her amusement was the one cooking. She smiled over at pancakes, their tops just beginning to burgeon with bubbles that were popping. She hugged Carlisle from behind, resting her cheek on his back for a moment, feeling the realness of him. Suddenly, a feeling like electric shock went through her body and she released him taking two steps back. Carlisle dropped the spatula and seemed flustered for a moment and turned to look at her. There was something different in his eyes when he looked at her, but Bella couldn't quite decipher this puzzle that was Carlisle's reappearance in her life.

Carlisle quickly went back to flip the pancakes. "Uh, sorry Bella. There must be a short in this electric griddle. I felt that too." He looked at her once more. Bella felt a blush creep up her neck and into her face. Was she imagining things? She felt as if she should be in confession for the way that hugging Carlisle made her feel. "Oh, God forgive me for feeling that way about another woman's husband. A woman who is like my own mother." Bella silently prayed.

Carlisle moved the fluffy, slightly browned pancakes onto a plate and the already done bacon and Bella reached for plates, forks, knives and napkins. She quickly set the table, amused at Charlie's astounded look as his eyes followed her around.

Charlie couldn't believe the change in Bella. Yesterday, he couldn't even get her to bathe or eat, and now, she was clean, had makeup on and was cheerily setting the table. He gave Carlisle a sideways glance as the wheels in his head began to turn. Something in him didn't like the fact that Carlisle Cullen's presence could make Bella this happy, but something argued with him that whatever made Bella this happy, couldn't be so bad. After all, only a week ago, he was considering institutionalizing her. He returned her smile with a small tear in his eye, so happy to see his Bella back. His Bella, yet downright cheerful. This was almost too good to be true.

They all sat down in companionable conversation as Bella and Charlie began loading pancakes onto their plates. Suddenly realizing that she had set a plate in front of Carlisle, she had a moments panic. "Oh, Carlisle, I'm sorry!" Charlie and Carlisle both looked at her with different expressions. Charlie with a quizzical look and Carlisle with an amused understanding at her oversight.

"It's no problem, Bella. I wouldn't expect you to remember that I don't eat breakfast."

"I'm so sorry, Carlisle." Bella felt a rush of dread at the attention that she just drew to Carlisle.

"Why don't you eat breakfast, Carlisle? You made all of this, for heaven's sake." Charlie just seemed idly curious, to Bella's relief. Charlie carved off a piece of butter and syrup soaked pancakes and plunked it into his mouth, his eyes still on Carlisle.

"I find that with my metabolism, that it makes me sluggish. I just stick to a cup of coffee, which I had earlier, before you all woke up. I find that eating lunch and dinner are sufficient enough to keep my energy up, but breakfast seems to want to put me back to sleep." He finished this with a flippant and believable laugh. Charlie smiled back at him.

"Fine with me. More for us, right Bella?" Bella returned his smile and apologized with her eyes to Carlisle as she took her own bite of the melt in your mouth, fluffy pancakes in which he had prepared. She had to hand it to the Cullen's. For a race that doesn't eat food, they sure could cook.

Charlie downed his breakfast and poured his coffee into a travel mug. Glancing down at his watch, he started to rush. "Sorry, but I have to be at work in twenty minutes. Bella, why don't you take the day off of school and let Dr., eh, Carlisle take a look at you today and make sure that you're doing okay." Kissing Bella on the forehead, he whispered to her, "I'm so happy to see you happy, kiddo. You just tell me what makes you happy and we'll keep it up, okay?"

"Okay, Dad." Bella gave him a smile that warmed him to his toes.

Turning to Carlisle, Charlie shook his hand. "I can't thank you enough for staying up all night for Bella and for her obvious change in mood. God bless you, Carlisle."

"Please, think nothing of it. I would like to ask your permission to take Bella to my home to examine her in my office if that's alright with you?"

Charlie thought about this for a moment. His protective side wanted to see a different side to playing doctor, but something in him trusted Carlisle. Besides, Bella was eighteen. He knew that she would abide by his wishes, but at this moment, he would do nothing to puncture the bubble of joy that had descended upon her with Carlisle's arrival. Besides, he liked the idea of Bella being checked over after months of what must be malnutrition and sleep deprivation.

"That would be fine, Carlisle. I'm sure that you have things to do today, so just drop her back by when you need to."

"Actually my day is quite open. May I drop Bella off later this evening? I would like the company, considering that none of the rest of the family is here."

Bella wondered once again, what was going on there.

"Sure, sure. That would be fine, Carlisle. Be good to Carlisle Bella." Charlie teased and winked at her and he was out the door, coffee in hand.

As soon as Charlie was out the door, Bella spun around and looked at him hard. "Okay, Carlisle. What's going on here? Why are you here alone and why are you here until I send you away?"

"Woah, Bella, one question at a time please. First thing is first, however, and you really do need a checkup, so into your warm clothes, please. Bella raised her eyebrow at him, but did as he asked, pulling her down jacket on and pulling on her winter hat.

Carlisle couldn't help but think about how adorable she looked with her knitted snow boarder hat on. He wanted to reach out and hold her right there, but now was not the time. Pulling the keys from his pocket, he opened the door for her and closed it behind him, heading for the Mercedes.

As they drove to the Cullen's Forks house, Bella couldn't resist the urge to pry. "Okay, Carlisle. I'm complying with my prescribed checkup. Please tell me where everyone is? At least give me that?"

Carlisle smiled, but there was a cloudiness to the smile. "Everyone is in Denali, Bella. They all send their love. Esme in particular and before you ask, Edward is being an angsty little drama queen." Bella laughed aloud at this.

"What's this? I mention Edward and you laugh? You have no idea what that does to ease my mind." Carlisle's smile was clear and beautiful this time. He really was beautiful, Bella thought to herself and then shook her head. What was wrong with her, today?"

She dreaded pulling into the Cullen's modern house in Forks, worried that she would be bombarded with memories that would rip her open again, but as they pulled into the drive and the manse came into view, she was instead bombarded with happy memories. Alice playing Bella Barbie with her reluctant self, playing Halo Reach with Emmet on the X Box and the look on his face when she stole his kill with a sniper rifle, just before he stabbed his opponent in the chest. Esme's kind smile as she spoke soft words of peace and love to the family. It was then that she realized, she had never been in love with Edward at all. She had been infatuated with him, but she immediately fell in love with the family.

Stopping and zipping around to open Bella's door for her, Carlisle apologized that some of the furniture was still covered in sheets. Bella waved it off, offering to help remove them. As they entered the foyer, the first floor looked as it was full of ghosts with white sheets over every piece of furniture. It caused Bella to shiver as if it were actually the ghosts of family memories past.

"Oh, no. I've got this Bella, and I'll turn on the heat while I'm at it. You must be cold." Carlisle had misinterpreted her shiver, but she had to admit that it was as cold inside as it was out, being that no one had been here in nine months. Carlisle rushed around the house at vampire speed and within about two minutes, the house was returned to its former familiar self.

Bella smelled the aroma of heated dust as the furnace came on. Carlisle rushed over to the fireplace and started a crackling fire. "Here, come sit in front of it until the heat makes its way through the house. I'll make you some hot chocolate and then we can talk." Bella was satisfied at this as she removed her jacket, hanging it up on the coat tree by the door. Making her way over to the fire, it sent delicious warmth into her very core. A few moments later, Carlisle appeared with a steaming hot cup of cocoa and handed it to Bella. "Wow, whipped cream and all. Thanks Carlisle." Carlisle smiled his welcome.

"We need to talk, Bella and I need to get this off of my chest, before you ask any questions."

"Okay. Is everyone alright?"

Carlisle chuckled. "Already with the questions."

"Sorry." Bella smiled into her hot cocoa.

"There is a dynamic to our family that no one but Esme and myself knew, until recently. You see, I was alone for nearly two hundred and fifty years when I found Esme. When I changed her, it was the only female companionship that I had shared in the same house other than my mother and my sisters. We quickly fell into a romantic relationship and decided to live as man and wife, pretending that Edward was our son." Bella leaned forward, listening to Carlisle's kind, calm voice as it seemed to draw her in. "As the years went by, well, the others came to live with us and we became a family, but there was one thing that Esme and I knew from the beginning." Carlisle paused. Let's get you upstairs and get you checked out. I need a moment to collect my thoughts." Suddenly Carlisle seemed troubled. Bella was desperate to hear the rest of his story, but the worry in his face, made her comply.

They climbed the stairs to his study and Bella obediently took her familiar seat on the exam table. She blushed a bit when she saw the desk that she leaned against as he cleaned the glass out of her wound. He smelled like he did then, even now. So masculine. Carlisle began his exam, checking Bella's eyes, poking and prodding on her stomach, concentration furrowing his brow. "You're too skinny Bella. I'm willing to bet that you're malnourished. I'm going to have to take some blood." Bella winced and went pale.

"I know that you don't like it, but I'll distract you, I promise." Carlisle got the vile and needle ready. "Now close your eyes and I will finish the story." He drew her in immediately as he continued. "Vampires, like werewolves, have mates that when we find, our hearts bond even stronger with than an imprint. It as if the world shifts upon its axis and nothing can make you truly happy unless you are near to that person." Carlisle switched vials, filling a second with blood. Bella was so engrossed in his story and the feel of his cold hands on her arm, that she didn't even think about the blood.

"Bell, Esme and I are not mates." Bella's eyes flew open in surprise. "What do you mean?" Bella looked a bit panicked. There was a chink in her family's armor. "We turned to each other for comfort, fully knowing that someday, some century, one of us would meet our mate. Don't get me wrong, we love each other deeply, but more as friends, than as romantic lovers." Bella could feel Carlisle' breath cool on her face now as he leaned in, pulling the needle from her arm.

Bella spoke, her eyes still closed. "Carlisle, are you telling me that one of you has met your mate?" Bella felt a sadness creep over her for Carlisle's loss. No wonder he was back here by himself.

"Yes, Bella. One of us has." Bella opened her eyes and was awed by what she saw in his, so close to her own. Love.

"Carlisle?" Bella felt her heart began to pound as her body responded to his closeness. Her eyes dilated and she absentmindedly licked her lips. "What are you telling me?" It couldn't be, she thought to herself. Her mind was playing tricks on her, or was it his scent, or his eyes, or his closeness.

"Bella Swan, I am telling you that you are my mate and I recognized it before we left." Bella's eyes widened with shock. Suddenly she felt light headed, but something in Carlisle's eyes kept her centered. "That is why we moved away. It was my fault, Bella. I didn't want to hurt my family, to break Edward and Esme's heart. It was me."

Bella was speechless. She looked deeper into his eyes for answers to questions that she couldn't put into words. She spoke the first thing that came to mind. "When did you know?" Carlisle smiled. It warmed her more than the pumping central heat.

"I knew the night of your birthday. The night of the paper cut and Jasper's slip up. I knew when I was removing the glass from your arm." Bella just stared at him, tears forming in her big beautiful doe eyes.

"I'm sorry to tell you this way, but I want you to know that I am not here to try and seduce you. I am not here to change you. I am just here, because I couldn't stay away any longer. My heart just couldn't stand to be away from you for another moment. I will be whatever it is that you want me to be for you. No strings attached, just please, let me be near you." Carlisle had venomous tears pooled in his eyes. Tears that would never fall.

At that moment, Bella's stomach did a flip flop. "But what about Esme? I don't want to hurt her, Carlisle. I love her so much. What have I done?"

"You have done nothing, Bella, and don't ever think that. It is simply fate and Esme fully understands and has been anticipating this. She saw it from the first night that I knew. She admits a momentary fit of jealousy on her part, causing her to vote to leave, but she is so very repentant. She wants nothing but to see you again and for me to be truly happy. So I must ask you, Bella, because, vampire or not, I'm only human. Do you feel anything for me?"

Bella was as still as a statue as she searched her heart. The answer was not so hard to find. She said the only word that came into her mind. "Yes."

Carlisle let out an unneeded breath and smiled an unbelievably beautiful smile just for her. Bella's heart leapt.

"I can't tell you what is next, Carlisle, but yes. I do and have had feelings for you that I have suppressed out of guilt. But why me? I thought that Edward and I . . .?"

"Do you love Edward, Bella?" Carlisle was so vulnerable now. Bella had never seen this side of him.

"Carlisle, with Edward it was a deep infatuation." Carlisle seemed to cringe at even the thought of his mate being infatuated with someone else, but he controlled his urges to hold her to him. "It grew into a sort of mind game. Edward was so intense with me and no one had ever been that way about me before. God help me, but I responded. When he left me in the woods that day. . . the day that you left, he told me that he didn't want me." Carlisle couldn't resist any longer. He pulled Bella to him, feeling such deep remorse for causing her such pain. She clung to him, enjoying the very natural feeling of his arms around her. She continued. "It took me months to realize that it wasn't him that I was in love with. I loved being part of your family. Something about being a part of you all made me feel complete. It wasn't until the day in the study, when I realized, that I felt as if I should have gone to confession for having the feelings that I did for you."

"So you felt it too?"

"Yes. I did. Come to think of it, what was that shock that I felt when I hugged you this morning?" Bella remembered the feelings that the sharp spike of heat ignited in her. Her cheeks stained red at the memory.

"Touching your mate is a powerful thing, Bella. That is what you felt."

"So, what happens now?" Bella's chocolate brown eyes stared into Carlisle's golden depthless eyes.

"That, my love, is completely up to you."


	3. Chapter 3

*A huge thank you to whoever nominated me, jacobiterose, for this year's Energize WIP Awards!

*I in no way shape or form, own these characters, or any rights to the unbelievable fortune that Stephenie Meyer is surely raking in due to the invention of these characters.

*Thanks to all of the very kind reviews and critical, that I have received. You are the reason that I find the inspiration to continue to watch this world play out in my mind. I love each and every one of you dearly.

*I in no way shape or form, own these characters, or any rights to the unbelievable fortune that Stephenie Meyer is surely raking in due to the invention of these characters.

**Chapter 3**

**Getting To Know You**

Bella smiled into Carlisle's face only inches from her own. What I would like is to get more accustomed to the romantic feelings that I'm having toward you. It's the last thing that I could have imagined that I would be feeling, yesterday before your arrival. Carlisle backed up a step with an understanding, but adoring smile.

"Of course, Bella. I have been becoming accustomed to these feelings for months, but you have only had a day. We will take this at your pace." Bella felt warm inside at his understanding, but somehow, against all logic, she felt drawn to him. Suddenly and newly familiar with him.

"Do something for me, please?" Bella asked, wanting to try and just touch him as her fingers itched to do.

"Name it," There was nothing but kindness and peace in Carlisle. Bella couldn't help but revel in the fact, the knowledge that she was actually mated to Carlisle. She longed to touch him, but was timid.

"Just stand still for me?" Carlisle nodded and then stood straight and still as a statue. Slowly Bella reached out her hand. She stopped for a moment, her hand hovering over his cheek and then she touched him. There it was again, the shock of heat that had passed through her, before. She became bolder as she let the backs of her fingers caress Carlisle's cheek. His skin was smooth as a baby's, but taut as if over marble. Her heart seemed like a rosebud that was opening to this man. An irrational warmth and familiarity blossomed within her toward him. So this was what it felt like to be a mate?

Carlisle closed his eyes at her touch, but remained still, not wanting to frighten Bella off, like a feeding a skittish doe. She reached out her other hand and let both fall to his shoulders. She felt rock hard muscle there and her body had a sudden, warm rush to it. It was the way that she had felt in the seconds that Edward would kiss her. Her hands ebbed down his arms, until they found his hands. Gently, she interwove her fingers with his. Carlisle opened his eyes at this and smiled. He closed his fingers around her own. Bella had the strangest sensation of coming home. She inched her way forward and laid her head on his chest. It was at that moment that the hole in her chest, fused back together. She suddenly wrapped her arms around him needing to be closer to him.

"Please, Carlisle. Hold me." She could feel the joyful rumble of his mirth in his chest as he brought his arms up and wrapped them around her waist. "Bella, I love you. I always will." Carlisle turned his head and inhaled the scent of her hair. Bella nuzzled herself into the crook of his neck.

"It was you all along. I feel so at peace here, with you." Bella reveled in the healing of her heart and the wholeness that Carlisle's sweet, innocent touch brought to her. She didn't feel rushed or pressured, just love, suspended in this moment. There was no doubt in her mind now. She loved Carlisle Cullen and there was no sin in it. Suddenly feeling her nerve rise with the tidal wave of feelings crashing into her, she raised her head and looked into his eyes.

"Carlisle, I don't know how this works exactly, but Edward could never stand to give me more than a chaste kiss." Bella blushed. "Can you . . .?" Carlisle didn't even let her finish her thought as he lowered his head and pulled her into a slow, rhythmic kiss. Bella melted into him. She felt all of her nerve endings responding to the meeting of their lips. Carlisle's moved over hers, sometimes as gentle as butterfly wings, but sometimes hungrily and showing the need that he had to be closer to her. She pulled back, blushing. "I'm sorry if I don't really know what I'm doing here, but I've not had much practice." She looked down at her toes, wondering if she seemed inexperienced and boring to him. Her face told the tale of her uncertainty. Carlisle raised her chin until she looked into his honey colored eyes.

"Bella, your innocence is such a gift to me. Never, ever apologize for being innocent, but if you want to know the truth, you set my blood on fire, just by touching me." Bella's head snapped up and she was surprised and relieved to see his eyes almost black. She had never felt particularly desirable or attractive, yet Carlisle made her feel like the most beguiling woman in the world.

Smiling, she once again touched his face. "I can't believe that you want me." Bella smiled in awe.

"Want you? Oh Bella, my very soul cries out for you. There is nothing that I would ever do to hurt you. Nothing that you could ask of me that I wouldn't do for you. You are the most precious thing in the world to me. I can see that this will take time for you to understand, but we have time, Bella. It would be easier to understand if you were like me, a vampire, but know this. I couldn't leave you, now, if my life depended on it." He watched different emotions flit across her face. Feeling that it may be too soon to try anymore of this kind of intimacy, he changed their direction.

"Come with me. We'll watch a movie together. I'll even let you pick it out." He teased her.

Bella, relieved that the spell had been broken for a moment smiled back. "Alright then, Fight Club it is."

"Fight Club? I had you pegged for the American Beauty type." Carlisle interest was piqued.

"Oh, that's a great movie, too, but for now, let's watch Fight Club. It has always made me want to learn to make soap." Bella's rambling was an afterthought spoken aloud. At this, Carlisle threw his head back and laughed out loud. "Bella, you never cease to surprise me with your words."

They made their way into the T.V. room, hands still linked, fingers entwined as this had become something that quickly felt very natural, the need to keep the connection, very strong for Bella. She broke the touch for a moment, already understanding the emptiness that Carlisle mentioned about being separated from your mate. She perused the shelves until she found it. Popping the Blue Ray into the player, she turned to notice that Carlisle was seated on the sofa, one arm extended, resting on the couch. "I'm not as skittish as I think that you imagine me to be." Bella needed him to know that she didn't fear him.

"Really, and how is that?"

Bella walked over to Carlisle and sat down on his lap, curling up into him and throwing a blanket over her. "You don't scare me, Carlisle. You are like home and home is a nice feeling." She suddenly reached up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, feeling the hot connection once again, she trembled.

"You'll get used to that, Bella. It's only human's that experience it as a shock, but you will become accustomed to it." Bella thought for a moment.

"What does it feel like to a vampire?"

Carlisle raised an eyebrow and with a wry smile he said, "Pure, unadulterated lust."

Now Bella could feel her cheeks turning crimson, but the thought of being able to ignite lust in Carlisle by just a peck on the cheek excited her in ways that she had never explored. As the movie started, she settled back into him and watched. She was incredibly sensitive to their contact throughout the film. Finally she could resist no more. She squirmed in his arms and reached her arms around his next. For just a moment, she saw surprise there. "I'm going to kiss you, Carlisle, because I want to. Because I've wanted to. Because I can now." And with that, Bella kissed him as she had always wanted to be kissed. She gave in to the reigned in passion that she had felt for him months before as she sat still when he attended to her wounds. He tightened his grip on her waist as she pushed her fingers through his soft hair, disheveling it. Carlisle groaned into her mouth and pulled back.

"I don't think that you know what you do to me, Bella. Perhaps it would be best if we slowed down just a bit." Bella felt dejected.

"There's something wrong with me, isn't there. Granted that was more passion than I had ever experienced with Edward, even at my most infatuated, but he always pulled away. What is it about me that causes you all to pull away." Suddenly Carlisle's eyes were pained.

"Is that what you think is going on here? That I don't want you? Bella, being close to you is driving me mad. I want you in every way possible, yet you haven't even graduated from high school yet. This was the first time that you have been properly kissed and I am more than honored to be the one to do that and I hope to God that I am the last, but kissing you, will lead to other things."

"What are you worried about, Carlisle? Losing control?" Bella had hot tears spilling down her face now. "Are you afraid of drinking the 'human' if you let yourself go? Well damn being human, I just want love and I am in love with you Carlisle Cullen!" Bella stopped short at her own admission. Tears still trickling down her face, she almost flinched when Carlisle went to wipe them off.

"Is that what you think is going on here? That I'm afraid that I'll lose control and bite you? Bella I am a doctor of medicine and have been for three hundred years. My concern lies in the fact that kissing you makes me want to touch you, in intimate ways. The thought of touching you in intimate ways, makes me want to think of doing unthinkable things with you. Of making love to you and showing you just what you do to me." Carlisle was conflicted and not used to being so pointed, but the last thing that he wanted was Bella thinking that it had anything to do with the way that it was with Edward. He saw Bella physically relax.

"Sorry, Carlisle. I didn't mean to group you in with, well, you know. Since we're being honest, the thought of being intimate with you excites me, but I want to get used to us being together first. I want to know you. Every line of your face, the thoughts that rush through your head when your brow is furrowed together while you sit at your desk going over medical records. But make no mistake, my body responds to yours as well.

Carlisle smiled and kissed Bella chastely. "Oh, I know it does, my Bella."

"You do? How?" Bella looked down at herself to see if there was some tell tale sign that she wasn't' aware of.

"It's my heightened sense of smell. I can smell your arousal and it is my worst enemy. It fuels the fire that burns in me. Nothing comes close to the passion that a vampire feels for his mate, so I have to be careful about getting carried away, until and only if, you are ever ready."

Bella shook her head at this in understanding, thankful that Carlisle could not read her mind. She appreciated his candor. Her mind asked, "Is four o'clock good for you?" But Bella knew that this should not, could not be taken too fast. They ended up back in the study, talking and discussing the various authors in Carlisle's extensive library. "I'm impressed." Bella smiled. "It is a true sign of a man who is secure in his masculinity, who owns all of the works of Jane Austen."

Carlisle chuckled. "It has nothing to do with manhood, but literary wit. The Regency Period was all about one's wit and Jane Austen had it down to a science. She viewed the world through satirical eyes, yet she was a romantic soul."

"It's very sad to me that she went to her grave without ever finding her own Mr. Darcy and the happiness that he and Elizabeth would surely enjoy." Bella sighed as she realized that her real life Mr. Darcy was standing right in front of her, only with more of Mr. Bingley's personality.

"What is your favorite by her?" Carlisle continued the conversation.

"Well, not to sound generic, but Pride and Prejudice. It was the first that I read by her. Northanger Abbey is a close second and oh, how I love Persuasion! I feel that Persuasion is highly underrated, while I just want to strangle the heroine in Mansfield Park. I didn't care for Fanny at all."

Carlisle chuckled. "She was a bit too easily taken in, wasn't she." Bella just rolled her eyes in disagreement.

"That must have been a low part in her career. Perhaps she was pushing through a bout of writers block and forced it out, but it lacked the wit and true romance of her other novels."

"I've heard you speak to Edward of Emily Bronte."

"Well, Wuthering Heights is my favorite book of all time."

"What do you like about it, Bella?"

Bella thought for a moment. "There are so many things. The intensity in which they love each other, Catherine and Heathcliff. Bronte completely accomplishes an author's goal of reaching out and grabbing a reader, touching their very inner most thoughts, their feelings. It is haunting, as it was meant to be. I think that her ability to keep life real, while making it overwhelmingly sad, yet the most romantic story ever written. I mean, who can do that?"

Carlisle felt pride rise within him and warmth toward Bella's intellect. "How can I live without my soul, indeed." He quoted Wuthering Heights to her, letting her know that he identified with Heathcliff at that moment. She locked eyes with him and there was a crackle of electricity in the air. She broke the tension coiling in her belly and looked at her watch. "I hate to do this, but I'd better be getting home soon. I can't believe it, but it's nearly five o'clock."

Carlisle gasped. "I have never spent such a fast day in all of my three hundred and fifty plus years." He began to pull away a bit, to make it easier to leave. "Thank you for the loveliest afternoon that I have ever spent." Bella blushed at his praise.

"Thank you, Carlisle. I hope that we get to do this soon." Suddenly panic began to rise in Bella. When would she be able to see him again.

Carlisle seemed to read her inner struggle in her eyes. "I have an idea. Let's just see if we can get it by Charlie, because I don't want to be out of your company any more than you want to be out of mine."

It made Bella feel toasty warm inside that he didn't want to be away from her as much as she felt drawn to him. "Okay, but you do the talking."

"Well, I need to run it by you, first."

"I'm still standing right here. What is your idea?"

"Do you like attending Forks High School, Bella?" Bella thought for a moment.

"To be honest, it is the bain of my existence. She thought of Jessica and Lauren and all of the people who had committed mass mutiny in her friendships when she had started to go downhill. Now she was as good as invisible, except for the whispers that followed her around the hall at how she was falling apart, since Edward Cullen left.

"Well, let's get you home and I'll share my plan with you on the way. If you are in agreement, then I will pursue the matter with Charlie. If you are not, we will not speak of it again, and Bella?"

"Yes?" She was slipping her arm into the jacket held out to her by Carlisle.

"I meant it when I said that this has been the best afternoon spent in my entire existence." Bella smiled back at him as her blood rose to her cheeks. She gave him a peck on the lips and hurried out to the car, leaving Carlisle staring after her.

"You see, Charlie, she seems to be suffering from a great degree of malnutrition and exhaustion, with something that seems an awful lot like PTSD." Carlisle explained calmly to Charlie, who listened with intensity. Carlisle continued, seeing that Charlie was with him. "I have sent of some blood work to see about her iron and ketone levels, but I have a suggestion to make that I am not quite sure that you will agree with. If you don't, then I completely understand."

"Anything, Carlisle. You have done more for her in the last twenty four hours than anyone has done for her in months."

"Okay, well here is my suggestion. I believe that school is actually a mental strain on Bella. You see, she wanders the halls, now having no friends since sinking into her deep depression. Apparently the school is atwitter with gossip about her fall into that depression, connecting it to the time that we left. It's cruel, but it is true. I don't know how she's made it this far, but that maybe she was so deep in her depression that she didn't even notice. So, my suggestion is that you allow her to finish up her senior year online. The state has a free program that is a work at your own pace program. I would be most happy to tutor Bella in the tougher subjects, like calculus and bio chemistry, but there is no reason that her grade point average shouldn't come up drastically within the next quarter, away from all of the drama. Once again, I am sorry for what my family has caused, but as I said before, I am here to try and make it right."

Charlie listened to all of this, intensely. Charlie was not a stupid man and could see that there was more than just Bella's educational interests as far as Carlisle went, but Carlisle did have a point. It caused Charlie pain to know, now what Bella had been living through at school. As for Carlisle, well, Charlie hadn't ever seen anything insincere about him and Charlie was good at spotting these things after so many years in his line of work, yet somehow, it didn't seem to bother him. Carlisle was like Bella's lighthouse in a storm tossed sea. If someone could care that much for her and give up his time for her, how bad could he really be for her? No, Charlie was not blind in the least.

"Well, I do see your point there, Carlisle. Do you think that you may be able to help her to get into one of the schools that she was wanting to attend next fall?" Here was a baited question. How would Carlisle feel about Bella going off to school.

"Of course." Carlisle's answer was simple. "If she gets into one of the New England schools, then she is more than welcome to live off campus in one of our homes, or should she choose to go to the University of Alaska as she has expressed, well I'm sure that we could get her in."

"Okay, let's get this straight now, Carlisle. I have a lot of respect for you and I find you to be an upstanding and honest man in this town. That is hard to come by these days, but if you think that I'm blind to the fact that you and Bella seem to have feelings for each other, than you have grossly underestimated me."

Bella winced as she listened from around the corner in the kitchen. Carlisle was quiet as he let Charlie say his piece. How could Carlisle be so calm?

"At first it seems disturbing, you being old enough to be a doctor and all, but when I break it down in my head, you're not even really old enough to be any more than her big brother. I just wanted you to know that if this turns into a relationship, then I would rather see it happen out in the open, then trying to hide it from me."

Bella breathed an unbelievably big sigh of relief. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Thank you, Charlie, and yes. I don't know, yet what Bella's intentions are for sure, but I do have feelings for her. As for Bella, well, I will leave that up to her, but I want you to know what an honor it is to have your acceptance and for you to feel comfortable enough to be so frank with me and for your trust. I won't disappoint you."

"That's the only way that I see that things need to be done, Carlisle. Now, as for the online school. How do we get Bella started?"

"Well, you would withdraw her from Forks High and you would enroll her on the Washington State K-12 website. I can handle that for you. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to ask one more favor of you."

"Go ahead." Charlie had a feeling that he knew what was coming, but he feigned surprise anyway, reaching for his bottle of Pepto Bismol.

"I think that it might be wise if Bella were to stay at my house for a few days, so that I could see that she gets nutritionally balanced and well rested. I know what you must be thinking about me, but you must know that my intentions are completely honorable. I just want to see Bella get healthier again."

Charlie smiled, having been right. "Well, Carlisle, I don't see why not. After all, Bella doesn't need my permission as she's almost nineteen, yet I would like for you to know that I appreciate it and I realize that your intentions are good. Bells!" Charlie called for her suddenly. She waited a few heartbeats before walking around the corner. "How do you feel about spending a week or so with Carlisle, so that he can see that you eat and sleep properly?"

Bella remained as calm as possible. "That would be fine with me." She solemnly looked at Carlisle. "Thank you for being willing to help me out, yet again, Carlisle." She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling.

"I am only too happy to help, Bella. Why don't you get packed and we'll let your Dad, here, get a good night's sleep for once."

Charlie smiled appreciatively at Carlisle. Bella had been having so many nightmares for months, that Charlie hadn't had a full night's sleep in what seemed like forever. Just thinking about it made him yawn. "I can't say as I would mind that at all. No offense, Bells." He winked at Bella, who was half way up the stairs to gather her things.

"None taken!" She yelled back to him as she rushed into her room and dug out her suitcase.


	4. Chapter 4

*A huge thank you to whoever nominated me, jacobiterose, for this year's Energize WIP Awards!

*I in no way shape or form, own these characters, or any rights to the unbelievable fortune that Stephenie Meyer is surely raking in due to the invention of these characters.

*Thanks to all of the very kind reviews and critical, that I have received. You are the reason that I find the inspiration to continue to watch this world play out in my mind. I love each and every one of you dearly.

*I in no way shape or form, own these characters, or any rights to the unbelievable fortune that Stephenie Meyer is surely raking in due to the invention of these characters.

**Chapter 4**

**Feelings and Plans**

Bella sat in Carlisle's Mercedes as it flew down the road at incredibly high speeds. She heard Carlisle laugh to himself.

"What's so funny?" Bella had never seen Carlisle this at ease.

"I hope that you understand that I didn't just completely lie to your father, Bella."

"You didn't just want me all to yourself for a week?" Bella actually got the gumption to tease him. She gave him a pouty face.

He gave her a sideways glance and grinned at how cute she was. "No, actually. I got the results of your blood work back and it's not nearly as balanced as I would like for it to be. I can see that you really went through a lot, Bella, and for that I am eternally sorry, but there is nothing wrong that we can't fix by a visit to Port Angeles."

"Port Angeles? Why do we have to go there?"

"Trader Joes and another stop that Alice texted me about." Carlisle smiled, so relaxed. Bella loved seeing Carlisle so relaxed. "Alice texted me and let me know that she saw that you would be needing a few things to occupy some of your time. Some of her suggestions, I won't even elaborate on, but I will help you out with some of them." Carlisle winked at her, as he sat back smiling in the driver's seat. Bella was happy to see him the happiest that he had ever seemed to her. The thought that she had something to do with that, made her feel warm on the inside. Suddenly getting an urge to have some contact, she slipped her hand into his. He looked a bit surprised and maybe emotional, but thrilled by that small touch. He gently squeezed her hand and while looking at her, brought it to his cool lips and planted a feathery kiss onto the back of her hand, causing a very pleasant chill to run up her arm.

"So what's at Trader Joe's?" Bella was curious.

"Nutrition for you, my dear. Despite the fact that you have been eating for a day, your body is still consuming its own meager fat supply to survive and we have to break that cycle, but in a healthy way. Also, your protein levels and iron levels are alarmingly low. I won't just settle for any old food for your body, so it's to Trader Joe's that we go. Organic and HMO free, not to mention that they are a certified Fair Trade store. Bella appreciated the fact that Carlisle had considered all of this in his choice on where to shop.

"And where after that?" Bella's curiosity was getting the better of her. The thought about a suggestion that Alice had made that would cause Carlisle embarrassment, would probably make her die of humiliation. She was thankful for his tactfulness.

"We're going to head over to Joanne's Crafts, to pick up a few things. Don't worry about what we're going to pick up, Alice already knows. She knows that you don't like idle hands and besides enrolling you in online school, I'll imagine that you will want something creative to work on."

Bella was touched by Carlisle's thoughtfulness and Alice's foresight. If there was one thing that Bella couldn't stand, it was nothing to do. And so they comfortably raced on toward Port Angeles and to Trader Joe's.

Once at Trader Joe's, Carlisle encouraged Bella to get whatever looked good to her. "Your body knows what it needs and you will crave that, most of the time."

"Carlisle, I really hate you spending money on me like this." Bella was very self-conscious about anyone spending money on her. She didn't even like birthdays for that reason.

"Well, Miss Bella, you're going to have to get over that and fast. Money is not an issue, but your health and comfort are, so I want this basket full by the time that we leave." Bella gave him a crooked smile, clearly not winning this battle, she shoved the uncomfortable feeling down and began to peruse the shelves. The first thing that caught her eye was a tub of hummus. She grabbed it shyly and put into the shopping cart and added a couple of bags of blue corn chips. Carlisle smiled his approval. Moving over to the produce, Bella's favorite, she chose a bag of Gala Apples, fancy salad greens, ruby red grapefruits, beets for her salad and cilantro to add flavor. "I'm impressed, Bella. You seem to have a good sense of nutrition, although so far, you're practically a vegan. That's not going to help with your protein level for the moment, as it is emergent."

Carlisle drug her to the meat department. "I really only eat chicken." Bella stated flatly.

"Not today, sweetheart. It's okay to get some chicken, being that this is hormone free and free range, but you are getting some beef steaks as well." The thought of red meat, turned Bella's stomach, but none the less, she chose four rib eyes from the meat counter. Once Carlisle was satisfied with that, she added pomegranate and fresh squeezed orange juice to the basket. Smiling slightly, she chose organic chocolate milk and headed to the candy aisle, choosing a few blocks of dark chocolate.

"My secret indulgence." She smiled at him. Carlisle secretly envied the dark chocolate. "Perhaps I can add to your list of secret indulgences in the future, Bella." He whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Bella felt her knees go weak and knew that this possibility wasn't completely out of the question by what her body was telling her.

After spending a half an hour at Trader Joe's, Bella and Carlisle had become a lot more comfortable with touching, at one point, he moved behind Bella and helped her push the cart through the store, as she melted into his solid form. She was enticed by his exotic scent. Finally adding roasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds to the basket, Carlisle was satisfied.

"Well done, Bella. I know that this is not the most comfortable thing for you, but you will be spending the week with me and we can't have you going hungry. You make good choices on food for a human." Carlisle winked at her and Bella laughed out loud as the checker gave them a very strange look.

After Trader Joes, Carlisle drove her to Joanne's Crafts. Entering, Bella inhaled the scent, loving the smell of possibilities that lay within the walls. Bolts of fabric, raw wood, and the fibers of different yarns. Turning to Carlisle, she sought direction.

"Alice said that you have some photos of being at your mother's house in Jacksonville and the beach."

Bella perked up at once. "Oh yeah! Oh, bless Alice! I've some had some ideas, but I haven't had the opportunity or the money to go about making 4x6 frames."

"Lead on, oh goddess of crafts." Carlisle made a joke! Bella laughed aloud and grabbed his hand, pulling him to the unfinished frame section. She chose six 4x6 unfinished frames, some wood glue, a bag of sand and a bag of sea shells. Looking at him, apologetically, he responded. "You haven't even begun to scratch the surface. More!" Bella smiled appreciatively as she begun to crane her neck around the store, her own personal Disneyland. Carlisle chuckled at how happy Bella looked at this moment. He had never seen her brighten up like this before. His heart felt as if it would melt out of his chest and end up as a molten pool on the floor. It was the first time in a very long time that he had felt any semblance of warmth in his body. It was a spectacular feeling and Bella had given it to him.

Bella, now feeling the rush of shopping in the craft store, that Alice felt for clothes, she added a glue gun, and then headed for the yarn aisles with an eager and excited glow about her. She looked to Carlisle for permission as she picked up a complete set of knitting and crochet needles. "In the basket, Bella." Carlisle smiled warmly at her. Watching her run her fingers along the different skeins, textures, and colors of yarn was the most beautiful and seductive thing that he had ever seen. She chose several different colors and texture of Lion Brand Yarn, which seemed to be her brand of choice and stopping once to squint her eyes at Carlisle, she seemed to be sizing him up and added a skein of navy, light blue, and lime green to the basket, excusing herself for a moment, with a look of mischief in her eyes. She reappeared and hid something in her hand, under the picture frames.

"Okay, that should do it. Thank you so much, Carlisle." Bella blushed. "It's really hard for me to let you do this for me, you know. We could leave this cart right here, if you want to, it's just been fun just hanging out with you." She blushed even deeper. Carlisle couldn't resist her when she did that.

Suddenly he stepped forward, caressing her face with the backs of his fingers, leaving her breathless and kissed her, softly, but letting it last. As he pulled away, Bella leaned in a bit at the broken contact and blinked her eyes a few times. "The basket goes to the register, Bella." Carlisle's voice held a quiet, soothingly seductive tone. Bella reveled in being kissed so thoroughly by the one that she loved. And in public, at that. Just as Carlisle pushed the cart forward, she put a hand out and stopped it, looking into his eyes. Carlisle was the one who was mesmerized now, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her lips on his own, growing bolder, moving her mouth over his. Carlisle's arms snaked around her waist and drew her closer. She was lost in his kiss, in his arms, in his scent, until they heard a nearby customer clear their throat. They quickly separated, Bella blushing profusely. "Thank you, Carlisle." She whispered as they smiled to themselves, heading to the checkout stand.

Carlisle had put a steak in to marinade for Bella, which seemed to heighten his own appetite, so he had gone hunting. Bella stood at the large dining room table with newspaper spread out, readying herself to make her picture frames. She popped on the iPod, that streamed through the state of the art sound system that Emmet had installed and smiled to herself as the Cranberries began the song Dreams.

As she laid her frames out on the table and clipped off the tip of the wood glue. She jumped as suddenly she felt hands over her eyes. Her heart pounded as she waited to find out who's hands they were. In this world, it could either be a very good thing or a very bad thing to be surprised by someone.

"Guess who?" Came a chipper, chirping voice from behind.

Turning, Bella threw her arms around her long lost best friend. "Alice!" Alice squeezed her back and held her out to have a look at Bella. Clicking her tongue, she looked reproachful. "You are way too skinny, Bella. We've got to get some meat on your bones."

"Oh, and you're the one to talk about being too small?" Bella looked around Alice to see Jasper leaning on the doorframe.

"Jaz, it's so good to see you!" Bella ran to him as he picked her up and twirled her around.

"It's good to see you, too little sis." Bella was awash in a wave of brotherly love. She felt so wonderful having half of her family back.

"I hope that you don't mind us dropping in like this, but from what I've seen, I was thinking that you could use a bit of sisterly support." Alice had a sly grin on her face that mirrored Jaspers.

"What are you two smiling at?" Bella couldn't help but feel like Alice and Jasper both looked like the cat that ate the canary.

Jasper sniffed the air, admiringly. "It seems that love is in the air." He smiled, torturing Bella, making her blush. The Cullen's loved to make her blush.

"Alice, perhaps you should keep your gift to yourself every once in a while."

"My, aren't we touchy. Or at least we were today in the craft store." Alice giggled.

"Alice!"

"That's my cue to leave. I'll just go find Carlisle and go for a hunt. Bella and scissors make me a bit nervous." Jasper mussed her hair as he passed as Bella stuck her tongue out at him as he rushed out of the door in a flash.

"Okay, Bella. Dish." Alice herded Bella over to the sofa and crossed her legs, her fist underneath of her chin.

"Well, you're the one with the visions. Why don't you tell me what you know and I'll attempt to elaborate from there."

"I don't watch you all day, you know. I just happened to see one smokin' hot kiss in the craft store, Bella. Come on. Do you love him the way that he loves you?"

"Does he really love me?" Bella felt her spirits rise a bit.

"Bella, you're his mate. He would live and die for you. Once you find your mate it takes all of the self-control in the world to keep from taking them on the spot, but Carlisle, he loves you so much that he's just been patient and nothing but gentle, letting you lead the way. I could see by your kiss that you feel things for him too, just let it out."

"Okay, I'm in love with him, Alice. Hopelessly. It's confusing, thinking that I was with Edward, but there is something so much more, well, mature and natural about this. I do feel certain, well, you know, urges toward him, but I don't want to offend him. You know, he's from so long ago. I'm almost afraid to kiss him because I'm afraid that it would be too soon for him. He opens up a floodgate of new feelings inside of me that I've never had and I don't know how to handle them.

Alice was quiet for a moment. "Do you want my advice?" Bella had to think about that one, but if anyone knew Carlisle, it was Alice.

"Okay." Bella's heart pounded as she waited for Alice's sage advice.

"Rip off the band aid, Bella. If you were turned, there would be no stopping the urge that you would have for him and you would've already jumped his bones."

"So what is your advice, exactly?"

"Seduce him."

Bella's heart skipped a beat for a moment and her hands got sweaty. "Alice, I'm not exactly the seducing type. I'm awkward and clumsy."

"Bella, the only thing that you would have to do is come into his room at night. He never sleeps, remember? He reads. Just come to him. The rest will take its natural course."

Bella thought on this for a moment. The thought of Carlisle touching her, kissing her, made her feel a tight coiling in the bottom of her belly. She didn't quite understand it, but it wasn't a disagreeable sensation, or thought.

"You really don't think that he would think less of me?"

Alice waved a hand. "Bella, I can tell you that he's been dreaming of it for months now."

"Well, I'm going to ask you to do me a favor, but just this once."

"Anything, Bella. Just ask." Alice smiled excitedly at her.

"After dinner tonight, make me Bella Barbie?"

Alice didn't answer, but only squealed, rising up out of her seat and dancing too fast for Bella to focus on.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes! I'll make you even more beautiful than you already are." She sat down next to Bella and took Bella's hand in hers, gently now.

"A girl's first time should always be special. I'll make you feel special, confident. Just don't do this if you're not ready yet." Alice suddenly just had a streak of conscience. Bella thought about it for a moment. She had never been overly emotional, but she knew beyond a doubt that she loved Carlisle and that he promised to never leave her side.

"Yes, this is what I want. You know that I'm not all mushy about this stuff, but I want this and I want this with him. I can't imagine it with anybody else." Bella realized as the words came out of her mouth that she really did want this. She was in love with Carlisle Cullen and she wanted to give herself to him. Suddenly, someone let a cage of butterflies loose in her stomach.

Just then, Carlisle burst through the door with Jasper, both smiling and play fighting.

"Sorry, Bella." Carlisle apologized. "I'll just grill your steak get your salad ready. Any plans after dinner?" He looked over the still undone picture frames lying on the table. Bella felt the heat in her cheeks as Alice leaned into her for moral support.

"Not anything in particular. I thought that I might just work on these and leave them to dry overnight if that's okay with you, Carlisle?"

"Anything that makes you happy, makes me happy, Bella." Carlisle walked toward her and swept her hair out of the way to kiss her on the neck. He lingered just a bit longer then was necessary, making Bella's breath come in shallow pants, than headed over to the fridge.

"See, he wants it as bad as you do. He's just a gentleman. Don't worry about a thing, just focus on your picture frames and I'll have you looking like even more of a knock out than you already are." Alice whispered.

"Okay." Bella whispered back. But no false eyelashes and no dark lipstick. I'm Bella, not Marilyn Monroe. I want to come to him as me, not someone else." Alice smiled at this notion.

"Gotcha Bella Barbie." And she was gone after Jasper in a flash. Bella gave Carlisle a shy once over as he got the supplies out of the refrigerator. She noticed how his button up shirt stretched over his large, muscular shoulders and how his waist tapered into a tight behind. As he bent forward a bit to fish the cilantro in the bag out of the back of the fridge, she could see tight bands of muscle in his lower back. She was transfixed, licking her lips as she suddenly came to her senses and realized that Carlisle was standing with the cilantro in his hands and giving her a wry smile. "Everything alright, Bella?"

She shook her head and put her hands to her burning cheeks. "Yeah, uh, sorry. Just brainstorming." Carlisle smiled back at her.

"Brainstorm all that you want, Bella." And he went to work on her dinner. She shook her head and attacked her picture frames with all of the dignity that she had left.

Smearing wood glue over the front surface of each picture frame with her fingers, she grabbed handfuls of the slightly shimmery sand over the glue, tapping each frame to remove any loose sand. She could feel Carlisle watching her with interest as she turned a hair dryer on the frames, drying the glue. He was just about done with her dinner when she plugged in the glue gun. This was perfect timing, as it gave it plenty of time to heat the glue stick up.

Smiling her thanks, she sat up at the bar, like she always did and made small talk with Carlisle as she ate. Bella forced down pieces of red meat. "I know that it's not comfortable, Bella, but it's necessary for you to get better. I tried to make it as tasty as I knew how."

"It really is good, Carlisle. I'm sorry. I just wish that I was like you, sometimes. Immune to all of these silly physical imbalances." Something in Carlisle's eyes flashed for a moment. He walked around the counter and sat down next to Bella, pulling her into one of his arms.

"I know that before, well, we, uh, knew that we felt this way about each other, that you wanted to be changed, but I know that that was when you were with Edward." Bella stopped eating and turned to look right at Carlisle. "I don't know how you feel about that now, but I want you to know that if that is something that you still want to do, that the family vote still stands. If it's not something that you want to do, well, you'll always be my beautiful Bella, but I just can't imagine life without you. However, I will understand." Carlisle looked so heavy hearted, suddenly.

"Carlisle, I still want to do it, but what about the changes in the family? What about Esme? How would that make her feel? I don't want to ever be without you either. Carlisle, I love you and I want nothing more than to spend eternity loving you, but I don't want to hurt one of my dearest friends. So much so, that if I thought that it would hurt her, even in the least, I couldn't do it."

Carlisle smiled suddenly at her exclamation. He gently tucked a stray piece of hair behind Bella's ear. She pressed her face into his hand, planting a kiss on his palm and closing her eyes, memorizing the feel of him. "Bella, I can honestly tell you that aside from me, Esme would be the most overjoyed to have you be a part of our family. She loves you, Bella and she wanted you to know that it just doesn't seem like a family without you in it. She understands, Bella."

Bella visibly relaxed. "Then, yes. I want to."

Carlisle pulled her into his lap and held her tight. "Oh, I don't deserve you, Bella Swan. I look forward to forever, now, more as heaven, then as an existence, but I don't think that we should change you until after you graduate. You need to add a cap to our collage upstairs and you need to go on to college. You're too smart not to and you need that time with Charlie and with your mom to say goodbye."

That made it really sink in. Once she was changed, she could hardly just come walking back into their lives, never aging for years and years. However, she looked at her mate next to her and knew that he was her future. She couldn't imagine her life if he weren't in it. She couldn't imagine the amount of paint that losing his mate would cause him and she couldn't do that.

"I understand, but after graduation, will you be the one that does it, Carlisle?" He kissed her on the cheek and whispered into her ear. "It would be my honor, my sweet Isabella."

Putting her back on her stool, he quipped, "Eat up. You're still human for now and we have to take care of that body of yours." Carlisle had a way of just leaving her breathless. Well, he would be the one who was breathless tonight. Something deep within her core knew that she may not know what she was doing, that if she could practically bring him to his knees with a kiss, then she would certainly leave him breathless.


	5. Chapter 5

*A huge thank you to whoever nominated me, jacobiterose, for this year's Energize WIP Awards!

*I in no way shape or form, own these characters, or any rights to the unbelievable fortune that Stephenie Meyer is surely raking in due to the invention of these characters.

*Thanks to all of the very kind reviews and critical, that I have received. You are the reason that I find the inspiration to continue to watch this world play out in my mind. I love each and every one of you dearly.

*I in no way shape or form, own these characters, or any rights to the unbelievable fortune that Stephenie Meyer is surely raking in due to the invention of these characters.

**Chapter 5**

Carlisle had gone to his study to finish some paperwork that he was handling for the hospital in Denali. Bella was just gluing the last of her sea shells onto the picture frames as she felt a pixie light tap on her shoulder. Damn Alice's quiet entries.

"Yes?" Bella turned to face her.

"Come on, Bella Barbie. It's time to get ready."

Bella's eyes grew wide with the realization. Suddenly, she felt a rush of blood to her head. Then, the thought of what the closeness of Carlisle had done to her during dinner, tipped the scales for her.

"Okay, but remember. I'm Bella. Not Marilyn."

Alice rolled her eyes but smiled in her own little knowing smile. "Okay, okay. Come on."

Jasper was of course nowhere to be found as this was girl time. Alice set Bella down in front of her vanity and stood back to get a look at her. "Okay, you. Into the showers and shave, and I mean shave, everywhere except your eyebrows and head." Bella's eyebrows shot up.

"Every…where, um… you know how clumsy I am. I'll probably end up cutting myself and the first time that Carlisle sees me down there will be to stitch me up!"

Alice started laughing. "You'll be fine, just go slow and take your time. I can't work with dry hair, I have to start out from scratch, so there are towels and wash clothes in my bathroom for you as well as that Herbal Essence shampoo and conditioner that you love so much."

Bella was caught aback by her consideration. "Thanks, Alice."

"Oh, it's nothing. Now into the shower you go, Bella Barbie."

Bella took her time in the shower, taking extra precautions when it came to shaving. To her amazement and relief, nothing happened. She washed, using Alice's white chocolate raspberry body wash and actually felt smooth, sleek and sensual with her new smoothness as she exited the shower and wrapped herself and her hair into a towel. Suddenly, she realized that all of her things were in a guest bedroom that was to be hers. "Alice. I . . ." and then the door was flung open.

"Don't worry about your clothes, Bella. I've got you all set up."

Bella gasped and blanched as she looked at what Alice had laid out on the bed for her. There was only a silk light blue Japanese kimono and a black lace bra and pantie set. "I can't wear this."

Alice gave the black set a thoughtful look. "Well, black goes with anything really but I think it will look especially good on his cherrywood floor." At Bella stammering reply Alice smiled knowingly. "Bella, let's think seriously here. If all goes well, you won't be wearing anything at all."

"Well when you put it that way." Bella's stomach was tied in knots as she locked Alice's bedroom door and put on the bra, panties and kimono. Alice swirled her around and sat her down in the chair of doom. Twittering happily, Alice blow dried her hair and straightened it, causing it to fall just below her waist. "God, Bella. You really do have gorgeous hair." Bella smiled in return, trying to sedate the sudden rampant group of butterflies that were slamming into her rib cage. Alice actually did an amazing job on her makeup. It was subtle, but pretty. She had dusted Bella with shimmery powder all over her exposed flesh and then applied Bare Minerals to her face. Truly, Bella's complexion nearly looked as flawless as any vampire that she had seen. She dusted her eyelids with lavender eye shadow and applied two coats of mascara, one to lengthen and one to thicken. Bella began to complain about this, but Alice just scolded her, reminded her that she was the one who insisted on no false eyelashes. Bella sighed, but regained her composure when she looked into the mirror and was shocked by how her deep brown eyes popped with the lavender and thick lashes. Bella had to admit, she felt sexy. Maybe it was the feel of the satin against her bare skin, or the cleavage caused by the push up bra, but Bella felt like a femme fatale. Finishing up with a bit of blush just beneath her cheekbones and a touch of tinted lip gloss, Bella was breathtaking. She stared at herself in the mirror and where a shy girl with low self-esteem, sat before, now sat a beautiful woman.

Alice spun her around. "You look more beautiful than any vampire that I've ever met, Bella. You have true beauty. Now, is there any, you know, girl talk that you'll want to have before?"

"I think that I'll figure it out, Alice, but thanks." Bella really wasn't comfortable discussing the actual act with Alice. And so they sat there and listened to music and chatted until Alice gave her the nod. Carlisle had retired to his bedroom to read for the night. Bella's heart began to thunder in her chest, but her hormones kicked into overdrive. With a shy smile and a nod at Alice, she left Alice's room and began the walk down the long hall to Carlisle's bedroom door. She didn't know why she paused, she was sure that he could hear her coming from Alice's room, but she did. She stopped and composed herself. She wasn't bad for wanting this, she was no Mrs. Robinson. She just wanted to give herself freely to the man who held her heart, her very soul. She took a deep breath and knocked on his door.

"Come in." She heard him say. She slowly opened the door and stuck her head around the corner, spotting him in a leather chair with an old leather book that looked as it had almost been around as long as Carlisle had.

"Can I come in?" Bella felt her cheeks glow.

"Of course, Bella. Come in." Carlisle rose from his seat and Bella walked in. Carlisle's eyes widened as he took her in. He was clearly aroused, but still remained ever the gentleman. "Is there something that you needed?"

Bella said nothing. She just untied her kimono and let it fall to the floor. Carlisle stood as still as a statue, neither one of them breathing or talking. Suddenly, he snapped out of his stupor. "Bella? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, Carlisle. I love you and I want to be yours in every way possible. I guess that what I'm saying is, I want you." Carlisle was across the room in a flash with his arms around her, looking deep into her eyes.

His words whispered into her ear, cool breeze on her flushed skin. "My Isabella." He picked her up and carried her to the bed. "Just wait there." To Bella's relief, he was thoughtful enough to turn off the light for her first time. Moonlight was enough as it washed over the bed. He walked at human speed toward the bed and climbed in next to Bella. Carlisle stared down into her face, such emotion behind his eyes as he traced the lines of her face with a cool finger. "My Bella. You are so beautiful, you are my heart. With this, he dipped his head and kissed her, languidly. They lay on their sides facing each other as he let his hands run down the back of her body. She shuddered and her nipples hardened under her bra. He kissed his way down her neck and sucked on the upper edge of her collar bone, causing her to gasp. She raked her nails across his skull, causing him to make a sound closely to a purr. He looked up at her from near her chest and she could have sworn that his eyes glowed. She allowed herself to smile the happiness that being in his arms made her fell.

He made his way back up her body and kissed her once more, allowing his fingertips to feather over her breasts. Bella moaned and arched her back into his touch, begging for more. "You make this difficult for me, Mia Bella, but this is sacred and I will be gentle. Don't worry, my love. I will only cause you pleasure."

"I trust you, Carlisle. I want you to make love to me." Bella smiled as she sat forward, causing him to lean back as she unsnapped her bra. She was being driven by a need, heightened by his scent and his touch. She wanted to feel more of him. Leaving her bra hanging demurely on her shoulders, she moved her hands over his chest and began unbuttoning his shirt. She was so unsure of herself, yet so willing to share with him what she was, that venom pooled in his eyes at the beauty of his innocent mate.

Pushing his shirt back off of his shoulders and letting it slide to the bed, she pressed kisses onto his marble like chest, inhaling his scent with each breath, growing more and more driven by her need. She laid back down and let him take the lead, now.

Sliding her bra off of her shoulders, he moaned as he saw her beautiful, perfect breasts for the first time. Instantly, his head went down and he tasted one of her perfect pink nipples, causing her to cry out. The coolness of his tongue undid any self-consciousness that she might have been carrying and she cried out for more. "I need you, Carlisle. Please." A deep heat was pooling in her center and a tension was forming. A tension that instinctually, she knew, only he could make go away. He raised up once more, tearing off his belt. It hit the wall, making a dent, followed by his pants. He began kissing a line down her stomach causing her to squirm in anticipation. He was getting closer to the ache. He inhaled the intoxicating scent of her arousal and begged her knees apart with a gentle nudge of his hand. She slowly opened to him, feeling his cold breath touch her burning core. She nearly screamed at the pleasure of it.

He traced her slit with one finger and then began to touch and tease her bundle of nerves, until she nearly bucked off of the bed. "Please, Carlisle." She begged, but he wouldn't take her yet. He inserted one finger into her hot, tight, slick core and moved it in and out, repeatedly, feeling her clit swell to meet his touch. Inserting another finger, he stretched her slightly to accustom her to the feeling of being filled. Finally she sat up, and did something that surprised him. She grabbed him by the hair and growled "I need you in me, now!"

A deep rumbling growl erupted from his chest as he was face to face with her again. Licking her sweet juices from his fingers, he kissed her lips, allowing her to taste herself on him. She shifted her hips, not knowing how to position herself, so he grabbed her by the hips and lifted, positioning his tip right at her core. She cried out his name at the feeling of him against her nub, moving her hips forward, begging him to enter. He willingly complied as he eased his tip in. She hissed at the feeling as he eased his way in. Bella felt completely full for the first time as he slowly inched his way into her. Reaching her barrier, he whispered into her hair, "I will make this as quick as possible, my love, but it may hurt."

"It is part of taking me, Carlisle, so take me and do it now." He pressed forward as she stretched and then he broke through. She felt a quick shot of pain, that to her surprise caused a heightened sense of arousal. She raked her fingernails down his back, causing him to moan as he filled her completely. Stopping, completely sheathed in her, he licked the side of her neck and nipped softly at her throat, once more her hips bucked, urging him to move and he began a steady rhythm that brought her higher and higher. As she reached the peak of her climax she grabbed a handful of his hair and cried out his name as her walls shuddered around him. He was so close, but he wanted to give her pleasure at least one more time. Rolling her over, without breaking there connection she suddenly felt herself on top. Smiling down at him, she realized that he was giving her control. She experimented, moving her hips over him and found just the right way that caused excruciating pleasure each time he rubbed against her. She moved her hips faster and faster until with a wild shudder, she found her release once again, bringing him with her, reveling in the feeling of his seed filling her. Bella collapsed into his arms and he held her close. He wiped the sweaty hair back from her brow and kissed her, tasting her, one last time as her breathing evened out and she fell asleep. He lay next to her, holding her possessively throughout the night. This was his mate and they had sealed their mating. He would be the barrier to anything that threatened her, the bearer of anything that pleasured her and the sunshine on her rainy days. She was everything to him and always would be.

The morning light streamed in through the windows as Bella was just coming out of her dream state. She felt the mattress give next to her and rolled over, only to smile at her best friend, her lover, and the man who stood with a tray full of pancakes, syrup, bacon, coffee and orange juice with a rose in a vase.

Carlisle swiftly put pillows behind Bella's back and set her up with the tray, but not before kissing her until her toes curled up. "Good morning to you, too." Bella beamed at him.

Carlisle smiled at her, lighting up her world as he lay down next to her, watching with fascination as she hungrily devoured her pancakes. "Do you know how absolutely striking you are, my Isabella?" Carlisle worshiped her with his eyes. She blushed at the compliment and swallowed a mouthful of pancakes.

"You're pretty breathtaking yourself. If you don't quit looking at me like that, this tray is going to be dumped on the floor and I'm going to be on top of you again." Bella smirked at him, knowing that she was driving him crazy.

"You are sweet torture, love!" Carlisle rolled over and started tickeling her, half on top of her. She was laughing so hard and kicking that the orange juice fell off of the tray.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Carlisle!"

"Sorry, I'm the one that's responsible for it. I'll have it cleaned up in a jiff. Just enjoy your breakfast." Carlisle was true to his word and the stain was removed at vampire speed. Bella squeaked and pulled the covers up to her chest when Alice walked in. "Morning, Glory."

Carlisle reprimanded her. "You know that you're going to have to knock from now on, Alice."

"I know. Sorry, Carlisle, but this girl is out of clothes unless she wants to walk down the hall naked." Bella threw a pillow at her.

"I've just been shopping and have the cutest outfits for you, Bella." Seeing the look on Bella's face she got defensive. "Now, just see what I've got. It's mostly just designer jeans and some cute tops. I even got you a lavender pair of Converse and some new underthings." Alice looked at the dented wall with a smile. "I kinda thought that you might need them."

"Thanks Alice. Just leave them by the bed and hey, I really appreciate you shopping for me this morning." Bella smiled, thinking of lavender Converse.

"My isn't someone in a good mood this morning!" Alice shouted over her shoulder, causing Carlisle to laugh despite his disapproval of Alice's barging in on their intimate moment.

"So what do you have planned for the day, love? Carlisle asked, playing with a tendril of Bella's hair.

"Oh, I thought that I might just go home and grab those pictures of my mom for the frames. I think that I forgot my license there, too."

"Well, you can take any of the cars in the garage downstairs, just be careful, please."

"Of course I will." Bella promised. She sat up, still a bit shy, holding the sheets over her body as she sat forward and grabbed the bags.

"Hey, not too bad. Alice is learning. She pulled several cute pairs of jeans with just a tad more bling than she was accustomed to, but she could handle them. There was actually some cute tops in there, updressing Bella from her normal jeans and T-Shirt. Bella chose a light heather blue wrap shirt and a pair of dark blue skinny jeans. Choosing her underclothes, she went with a simple white lace bra and panty set, dressing with her back to Carlisle, who absolutely refused to look away. She liked it, but refused to say so. In her new duds, she kissed Carlisle long and slow to say goodbye, whispering in his ear that she looked forward to tonight and left for the garage, somehow feeling the pull away from him as she walked. Could she actually be that bonded to him? By the time that she chose Emmet's jeep and pulled out of the driveway, she knew that she was done for. Being away from him actually had her fighting a losing battle with tears. She wiped them away as she drove down the road as they blurred her vision. She made her way home as quickly as she could. Running upstairs to her house, she grabbed the pictures from her mom's house and Jacksonville and headed downstairs, preparing a meal for Charlie to heat up.

She sautéed chicken and vegetables, preparing minute rice and stir frying it all together in a teriyaki sauce. Storing it in a container, she labeled it, "Dinner", so that Charlie would be sure and see it on the way to his traditional off duty beer. Looking around the house, she noticed that it needed a straightening, so despite the longing in her heart to be back near Carlisle, she straightened up and started a load of laundry. Pictures in hand, she took one more look around at the house. It was fairly in order, but it would have to do. She missed her mate. Climbing in Emmet's jeep, she drove back toward the Cullen's, having flashbacks of last night. Carlisle was so sweet with her. She knew the damage that a vampire could do to a human, but Carlisle had been gentle, loving, and very charitable. She began to tear up again and it was at this moment, when she went to wipe tears from her eyes, that she missed a very important thing. A logging truck pulled out in front of her. She barely had time to slow down.

Alice suddenly screamed in her bedroom as Carlisle rushed down the hall. "What is it?"

"Get to Bella! Carlisle, she's dying!"

Carlisle felt that he was going to explode. Alice hopped into his Mercedes, Jasper already in the backseat as they sped off toward the crash site. The got there just as Charlie came squealing to a halt, stepped out of his cruiser and dropped to his knees. Bella was laid on the road by first responders, her feet elevated. Her eyes were closed. Carlisle ran to Charlie and picked him up to his feet. "Come with me, I can save her."

"How can you save her, Carlisle, the first responders said that I needed to get here to say goodbye." Charlie started to sob as he put a fist up in front of his mouth, he went to kneel beside Bella.

"It won't do any good, Charlie. The only way that Bella is going to stay alive is by becoming like us. You have to understand, Charlie. Have you ever noticed something different about us? We're immortal."

"Charlie, do you trust me?" Charlie kept sobbing. Carlisle nearly picked him up off of the ground. "Charlie, do you trust me, damnit?"

"Yes!"

"Then let me save her. Don't ask any questions, just let me save her and tell these people that you need time alone with her body. Do it now!" Carlisle was beside himself, but Charlie gave the order and the scene was cleared. Carlisle bent down to listen to Bella's heart. It was still beating enough. Looking at Charlie, he picked up her wrist

and bit down on it, filling it with as much venom as he could. Charlie pulled out his revolver, but Jasper was there in a moment, stopping him.


	6. Chapter 6

*A huge thank you to whoever nominated me, jacobiterose, for this year's Energize WIP Awards!

*I in no way shape or form, own these characters, or any rights to the unbelievable fortune that Stephenie Meyer is surely raking in due to the invention of these characters.

*Thanks to all of the very kind reviews and critical, that I have received. You are the reason that I find the inspiration to continue to watch this world play out in my mind. I love each and every one of you dearly.

*I in no way shape or form, own these characters, or any rights to the unbelievable fortune that Stephenie Meyer is surely raking in due to the invention of these characters.

**Chapter 6**

"Wait! "Charlie shouted in horror as he watched his daughter's nearly lifeless body being bitten by Carlisle Cullen. "What are you doing? Just let me hold my baby girl! Charlie ran over and lifted Bella's limp form into his lap as he cradled her to him. I don't understand you, Cullen or this immortal thing. What were you talking about? Suddenly, Jasper sent the most powerful waves of calm and the best feelings that he could toward Charlie. Charlie didn't understand it but suddenly he felt an overwhelming sense of calm as he stared on at Carlisle biting each of Bella's wrists, her arms, legs, neck and ankles as he held her. Carlisle seemed as shaken as he had was. This was a living hell, for both of them. They came close to seeing the dearest person in both of their lives, die.

"Charlie we have to get her out of here, now!" I can explain what I am doing to her later, but we really have to move her to my house and quickly.

"What did you mean by you were going to save her life?" All that I see you doing is marring her body, Carlisle!" Charlie held Bella close, protectively holding her to him, in sheer panic.

"Please trust me, Charlie. Please trust that I am saving Bella, to the best of my ability, but she has no chance if the ambulance arrives and takes her to the hospital. Think about it. My house is half a mile up the road and Port Angeles is twenty miles away. She has a fractured femur, and it has put a hole in her femoral artery. If I remove my finger, from the hole, she'll bleed to death right here. We really need to get her to my house. I have everything that we need there to stop the bleeding."

"Suddenly Charlie shook himself out of his stupor. It was true that he had never known Dr. Cullen to act strangely, or do his utmost to save a life."

Still, Charlie wrestled with his emotions for a minute. Finally he relented, knowing that Bella could bleed out at any moment. "Okay, load her into the back of my car." Charlie tried to stay as calm as possible. He usually was in first responder situations, but this was his daughter, broken by the accident with the logging truck. He felt as if he was going to be sick as he looked over at her crushed orange truck. Bella's truck.

Carlisle shouted out the orders. "Jasper, you come with us." Jasper looked pained at being near all of that blood. "You can do this, son. You have to, she's my mate."

"Your Mate?" Charlie was lost, but Bella's survival was foremost in his mind."

Carlisle continued. "Alice, you drive the Mercedes back and try and get ahold of Esme."

"I'll ride in the back of the cruiser with Bella and keep the hole in her artery plugged, until I can repair it at home." Carlisle climbed into the back, carefully as Charlie helped lift Bella into the back seat of his car. Her truck was mangled beyond all recognition. Carlisle continued assessing Bella's injuries. From the smell of her, she also had a horrible head wound and most likely a brain bleed, Carlisle would guess. Without changing her, she would probably be a vegetable at best with the way that her pulse was weakening so quickly, internal bleeding aside.

Charlie turned on his lights and siren, as the first responders saw Dr. Cullen in the back seat of the cruiser with Bella. Luckily they assumed that Charlie was taking her to the hospital with Dr. Cullen's help. They thought nothing of it and moved out of Charlie's way as he sped toward the Cullen's residence. "I must be losing my mind", Charlie thought aloud to himself as he flashed on his wipers against the onslaught of rain that ran like the tears that he held in with all of his might. This was not the time. Bella needed help, now, not a breakdown from her father.

Arriving at the Cullen's house, Carlisle lifted her out, keeping his finger in her femoral artery. Running up the stairs with vampire speed, Charlie's eyes widened and he shook his head as he seemed to be going into shock and seeing things as he followed Carlisle up the stairs at human speed. By the time that he got there, Carlisle already had a tray with alcohol, sterilizing surgical instruments. Charlie wondered how this was at all humanly possible. Very closely, he watched as Carlisle carefully sutured the punctured artery. He realigned her femur and checked her over for other injuries. Two broken arms and a crushed rib cage on the right side of her body, but still her heart fought. Carlisle was thankful that as the venom spread throughout her system, that she was unconscious, as it was an excruciating experience. Charlie felt a cool hand on his arm. "Why don't you come downstairs with Jasper and me and I'll make you some coffee. Bella is out of danger now." Charlie absentmindedly took one more glance at Bella and nodded his head. Carlisle looked up from his work. "That's probably a good idea. Bella has a collapsed lung and I am going to have to perform a thoracotomy to restore it to working order. It's not pleasant to watch, but she will pull through, Charlie. Carlisle gave him a reassuring nod.

Still feeling as if he was completely losing his mind, he walked down the stairs with Jasper and Alice. Inexplicably, he felt a strange sense of peace. He wasn't sure if it was shock, or relief that Bella's life threatening injuries were being maintained by Dr. Cullen that caused it, but he knew one thing. The other first responders would have allowed her to die there and whatever Carlisle had done to her, she was still breathing. For that, no matter how he didn't understand it, he was thankful.

He sat down at the bar with a daze as Alice started a pot of coffee.

"Now", Jasper said, "I'm sure that you have questions and I'll be more than happy to answer them for you, sir, but you probably won't understand the answers, nevertheless, Carlisle just saved Bella's life. Otherwise, her injuries would have been too extensive for her to survive. You would have lost her forever just now, had Carlisle not done what he did. Please keep an open mind as you ask your questions, as I will be completely honest with you. Something that our family has rarely done with anyone."

"But what was it that he did? What medical school teaches you to bite your patients? I never saw that one coming. Is it some sort of pressure point stimulation technique that he picked up in England?"

"No, Charlie. It's a bit more complicated than that. Carlisle is not your average person. Haven't you noticed that there's something just a little bit different about this whole family? Did you know that we miss school every time that it's sunny, or do crazy things like play baseball during thunderstorms? Have you noticed that everyone is pretty easy on the eyes, or that Bella hasn't been open to discussing Edward with you much in the past?"

Charlie thought about it for a moment. They were an incredibly good looking family, as if that were a prerequisite for being a member. All that Jasper was saying was true as he looked back at it all. Plus, Carlisle pulled inhuman hours at the hospital, going for four and five days at a time without sleep sometimes and Bella always seemed to be keeping secrets from him when they lived here. "What are you going to tell me, that you all are superheroes or something?

Jasper smiled at this as Alice poured a cup of coffee for Charlie. "Milk or sugar?"

"No, thanks, Alice, just black." Charlie returned his attention to Jasper, awaiting an answer to his question. "I mean seriously, am I going to find out that you are allergic to kryptonite, or something?"

"Not so much superheroes, Charlie. We are a subculture of what you could call, Immortals. We don't get sick, we have total recall and we have amazing reflexes, strength and can run at speeds that you can't even track with your eyes for miles and miles, but we're not superheroes.

Charlie blinked at this. "Is this some kind of sick joke or something? My daughter is lying on a table upstairs fighting for her life and you're telling me that you're some kind of Immortal sub culture? I don't see the humor in this!" Just then, Charlie remembered how fast Carlisle got to his study and had the instruments waiting and ready to go, before he could even climb the stairs. Something definitely was out of the ordinary here. "So what did Carlisle do to her. Are you like, vampire's or something. Did he just drain her and make her into one of you?"

Alice jumped in here, a bit on the defensive. "Carlisle didn't drink her blood, Charlie, he saved her life."

"So you are vampires?" Charlie looked white as a sheet.

"Charlie, Bella is going to wake up in three days and be immortal as well. That was why Carlisle was biting her. Either he could have let her die, or he could make her to be like us. We have that power and Carlisle chose to use it on Bella. It is not something that is used lightly, however and it has its perks, even though it has its drawbacks, but it's better than being dead, well in my humble opinion anyway. She will never age, never get sick, and probably never die." Jasper had no choice but to tell it like it was. Charlie looked skittish.

Just now, Charlie was looking at them as if they were a bunch of lunatics. "What is this, some kind of weird cult or something?" Jasper just shook his head. No one is asking you to drink kool aid here, Charlie. Just please, come outside with me, and I'll prove it to you. You see, I'm bullet proof. You will do more damage to the bullets then it will ever do to me."

Charlie cocked an eyebrow at him, wearily, but rose and went out into the back yard with Jasper. Jasper turned to face him. "If you don't believe me, then fire three shots at me right here." Jasper pointed to his heart.

"I can't just shoot an unarmed man! This is getting out of hand, Jasper. I'm not going to shoot you. Just please tell me what is going on here?" Charlie was feeling a bit panicky now and having the urge to take Bella and leave as quickly as possible. Jasper must have lost his mind, asking him to shoot him in the chest. Charlie had half a mind to do it, if it would help him to get Bella to safety.

"If you don't shoot me, then I'll have no choice, but to grab your gun away from you and do it myself. It would be a no brainer for me."

"You just try and get this gun from me, Mr., I've been through years of training. Charlie kept his eyes on Jasper, who stood stock still at the moment."

"Suddenly, in a blur, Jasper rushed Charlie and before Charlie could blink, Jasper had his gun in his hand and stood back where he started. Believe me now? Don't worry, Charlie, I have no evil intention here, although I am pretty familiar with pistols. Back in my day, they used to say that God created all men, but Sam Colt made them equal." Jasper laughed a bit at his own wit, reveling in the feel of a pistol in his hand once more.

"Holy shit! How did you just move like that?" Jasper just smiled at him to Charlie's horror, pointed the gun at his own chest and fired it three times.

"Oh my God, Jasper, no!" Charlie rushed forward, adrenaline pumping, only to run into Jasper's still standing form. There was no blood, no puncture wounds, except for Jasper's shirt and three bullets lay on the ground in front of Jasper, smashed from the impact, as if they had hit a metal wall. Charlie just stared blankly. Clearly he was going into shock. Jasper grasped him gently by the arm and led back him inside to the kitchen and sat him down in front of his coffee. "Here. Just drink your coffee, Charlie, you'll feel better." Alice said hospitably, while wording 'show off', to Jasper, over his head. For about fifteen minutes, Charlie just mechanically sipped his coffee, eyes staring into nowhere. Suddenly he spoke. "All of the stories that Billy has told around the bonfire have been true. I must have sat around the bonfire at the reservation, twenty times growing up, hearing the legends. First it was Ephraim Black, telling us what we thought were ghost stories of the cold ones, who fed on the blood of animals and how the spirit warriors of the tribe would turn into great wolves, the only thing strong enough to defeat these cold, blood drinking beings. As I grew up, I thought of them as simply tribal folklore passed down from generation to generation, but I'm beginning to wonder now, if there's something to the folklore. So if you are vampires, why haven't you drank Bella or me dry by now?" Charlie was half joking, but a part of him was taking this a bit more seriously than before that little jaunt with Jasper into the back yard.

"Because we consider ourselves vegetarians, Charlie. We only feed on the blood of animals. We hold to the sanctity of human life, although both of you do smell like heaven." Jasper smiled a bit at this. Charlie squirmed in his seat.

"Jasper! Stop that. Calm him down!" Alice shot Jasper an acerbic look.

"Yes ma'am." Suddenly Charlie felt a wave of calm, once again.

"So what is it that he is doing to Bella. Is he making her like you?"

It was quiet for a moment and then Alice spoke, gently. "It was the only way to save her, Charlie. We love Bella and Carlisle is hopelessly and eternally in love with her. He couldn't stand to see her die. She is his mate, Charlie, and I know that this is a lot to take in, but it would eternally break him, for something to happen to her."

"Well if I have my history right, then the treaty that you all forged with the Quilleute is forfeit now. What can we expect now? A pack of giant wolves coming for you all?" Charlie sounded facetious, but a part of him knew more and more that this was truth.

"So what about Edward? Why wasn't there any problem with him dating Bella" Charlie was trying to accept all of this. It was really the only logical answer to all that he had seen.

"Oh, there was an uproar about that, Charlie. Billy paid Jacob off on prom night to warn Bella to stay away from Edward, but Edward was just a high school crush for Bella. But while that was going on, Bella and Carlisle both felt things for each other that each thought inappropriate at the time, so they just hid them from each other and the rest of us. Things have changed, however. You see, a vampire only has one mate, kind of like the Quilleute stories that you've heard about imprinting?" Charlie nodded. "Although, the bond between vampires is much stronger and lasts an eternity. Carlisle and Esme put on the visage of being husband and wife as we gradually came into their lives, much the way that Bella will now. It was the only way to remain in society and still be accepted as one of the humans. Carlisle denied the finding of his mate for as long as he could to spare Edward, Bella and the family from hurt and then Edward quit caring about Bella one day. Just like that. Carlisle couldn't stand it anymore."

"Did Bella know?" Charlie was beginning to calm down, but his stomach twisted in knots over Bella.

"She figured it out and confronted Edward. He felt that if she understood and still accepted him, at the time, that she was his mate, but he was wrong and so was she. It was Carlisle all along. Carlisle didn't want to hurt Esme's feelings, after all that they had been through together, but finally he just couldn't stand to be separated from Bella for another day and he admitted the truth to us all and came back. He would die for her, literally, Charlie. He puts all of her own needs and wants above his own, for her. It is the way that a vampire mating works."

Charlie sipped on his coffee taking this all in. "Okay, I believe you. This is not the first time that I have heard the tales of vampires and werewolves, I just never thought that they were true until today, but what now? I mean, what happens when Bella is changed?" Alice and Jasper exchanged looks.

"We're going to have to take her with us to Denali, today, Charlie." There's no other way with the treaty broken.

Charlie looked stunned. "You can't just take her away from me, now. She's my whole life. She might as well be dead."

"Well, technically speaking, her heart won't need to beat anymore, so. . ."

"No! I won't let you leave without me. I won't leave Bella! She's all that I've got." He put his head in his hands and began to sob finally breaking.

"We have to take her with us, because when she wakes up in three days, she'll be a newborn vampire. We unnaturally control our cravings with animal blood, but the natural instinct for a vampire is to crave human blood. Mixed up in that is a strength and speed that even supersedes our own and you've got one heck of a mess if you're there when she wakes up."

Charlie looked at his empty mug and turned it in his hands. "Billy will never forgive me for this."

"You are right about that, Charlie. I'm sorry to say that by changing Bella today, that we have broken a more than hundred year old treaty with the Quilleute's. We'll have to be leaving, for good. The wolves, or werewolves will be coming soon."

The hair stood up on the back of Charlie's neck at the thought of giant warrior spirit wolves coming for them. For God's sake, at least the Cullen's looked human and all very good looking at that.

"That reminds me", Alice looked for her cell phone, "I've got to call Jenks and have him arrange for a helicopter to the airstrip ASAP.

"That does it! Charlie suddenly stood up. Bella's not going anywhere without me!"

"But Charlie, we've already told you. You can't come, it's too dangerous." "Then change me too." He looked resolved. "She's all that I've got, besides a friend that I've fought with half the time, she's my only family. She's my little girl, so I say change me too. I won't live a day without her. I won't do it!" Alice and Jasper exchanged nervous looks.


	7. Chapter 7

*A huge thank you to whoever nominated me, jacobiterose, for this year's Energize WIP Awards!

*I in no way shape or form, own these characters, or any rights to the unbelievable fortune that Stephenie Meyer is surely raking in due to the invention of these characters.

*Thanks to all of the very kind reviews and critical, that I have received. You are the reason that I find the inspiration to continue to watch this world play out in my mind. I love each and every one of you dearly.

*I in no way shape or form, own these characters, or any rights to the unbelievable fortune that Stephenie Meyer is surely raking in due to the invention of these characters.

**Chapter 7**

**New Capabilities**

"You'll have to take that up with Carlisle, Charlie." We just don't turn perfectly healthy people." Jasper was losing his calming control as Charlie's emotions seemed to switch gears to determination.

"Fine, then. I will." And Charlie turned and began walking up the stairs to Carlisle's study. Everything that stood to be lost ran through his mind like a dance. Monday night football with his friend, like a brother, Billy Black. His home and his career. He wasn't sure how he would survive if he did this. He thought of poor Jacob Black and his love for Bella and how badly he would be crushed at her disappearance, or would the Cullen's stage a death? The EMT's had practically called her time of death by the time that he had arrived. He thought of Renee and how she would cope with the loss of Bella. He didn't think it would matter much to her that she would lose Charlie, but Bella would just kill her. He thought of the only town that he had ever lived in and the familiar sights that were so comfortable. He would have to say goodbye to them forever, but none of this seemed anywhere near as important as his little girl. Nothing compared to the one person in his life that he loved the most. It wasn't as if he had a wife waiting for him at home, or even a girlfriend. He had his mind made up. He wouldn't take no for an answer.

Carlisle looked down upon the crushed and mangled figure of his eternal love. Filling a bowl of water and grabbing a surgical sponge, he began to lovingly wipe the blood from her slack, unconscious face. He ripped her blouse and jeans from her body and sobbed, tearlessly over the crushed, right side of her body, the suture's from the thoracotomy. Reaching inside of her body and draining the blood from her right lung, had been excruciating. He could only imagine the horror and pain that Bella had experienced as her truck wrapped itself around the back of the logging truck. Wiping the last of the blood from her bruised and broken body, he went to Alice's closet and found a dress to cover Bella's exposed body with. Just then, he noticed that her hair still had crusted blood in it. Filling the basin once again, Carlisle retrieved her own favorite shampoo and conditioner from Alice's shower, where Bella had showered, in preparation of coming to him the night before. He moaned at the smell, sadness bleeding from his soul, but unable to cry his release at this turn of events. Wetting her hair, he let the bloody water fall to the floor, without care as he gently massaged shampoo into her hair, washing away the blood. Rinsing it in much the same fashion, he massaged conditioner into her chestnut locks and then rinsed her hair clean, brushing it lovingly with his own brush. He brushed and brushed until it was dry and laying about her pale, dead looking face. He had the most morbid feeling that he was dressing her for her funeral, but continually listened to her heart, still fighting, reminding himself that she was still with him and if all went as planned, would be for eternity. By the time that a resolved Charlie reached the top of the stairs, Carlisle had already dressed Bella and Charlie found her in a much better looking state. Charlie stood back and played the spectator for a moment, watching the emotion in Carlisle's eyes as he gently touched her face and laid his head on her chest. The relief in his eyes at the fact that her heart was still fighting, pumping the venom through, touched Charlie.

Every now and then her eyes screwed up and she let out moan, but for the most part, she lay still on the table. Charlie felt haunted for a moment, as he realized that he could be looking at her laid out body in a mortuary. Instead, she would awaken. Changed, but still underneath it all, his Bella. There was only one thing for him to do. Convince Carlisle to change him too. He had already resolved to himself that he would never lay eyes again, upon the things that bound him to Forks. All that was in him was bound to the bruised and crushed figure lying on Carlisle's exam table at this moment.

"Carlisle, I know what you are and what you've done." Charlie looked him evenly in the eyes. Carlisle did not flinch. "I know that you're changing her into one of you and I want you to know that I understand and I am eternally grateful to you for it. I'm pretty sure that she won't be the same when she wakes up, but at least Bella is still in existence."

"I couldn't let her die. I'm sorry for the pain it must cost you, Charlie, but I can't go on a day without her." Carlisle's face was grave, but there was hope behind his eyes as he gazed at Bella's still figure. "I love her, Charlie, so much more than I love my own existence. I just couldn't let her go. If she would have died today and Alice had not seen it in time for me to get to her, I would not be here at this moment. I would have made sure of it. One cannot bare such pain, not for an eternity to living day and night without the other half of your soul."

"I'm glad that you did what you did, because I can't live without her either."

"You're glad?" Carlisle was perplexed.

"Of course I'm glad. She's too precious to die, Carlisle. She's my little girl and I shudder at the idea of seeing her dressed like this in a casket at a mortuary. I'm thankful that you were there to do what you did. I'm thankful that you are what you are. I'm grateful for the fact that you love her so. Everything makes sense now, but I'd like to ask you a favor, as she will have to go to Denali for some time."

"Sure, Charlie. What can I do for you? I will pay for you to come up to Denali anytime that you need to, to see her. After she has passed the time of danger to you, I'll even buy you a nice home nearby, if that is what you wish."

Charlie shook his head. "I don't want any of those things. I don't want Bella going through this all by herself, so I'm asking, I'm begging you to change me too. I don't want to live a day without my little girl, either, so I want you change me too." Charlie's face was resolved. You must understand what I'm feeling, Carlisle.

Carlisle shook his head. You just don't understand this process, Charlie. I've never changed anyone who wasn't dying already. You are physically the picture of health. Maybe a bit hard on the red meat, but your body is in peak condition. I just can't end your human life because I did what I did for Bella to save her life. I just can't do it if someone isn't already dying. The first oath of a Physician is 'Do no harm.' I can't violate the oath that I took."

"Perhaps you don't understand, Carlisle, I was dying, of a broken heart when I got the call that Bella was dying. Such a thing has to be possible, because I felt myself dying inside. Maybe I would have gone on breathing with a heartbeat, but I would have been as dead as a board on the inside, every day for the rest of my life. She's all that I have, Carlisle. She's the best thing that I've done in my life." Tears rolled down Charlie's cheeks and he propped himself up against the doorway, resting his face on his arm.

"You don't understand, Charlie. Each member of my family was changed near the brink of death. Alice was in an asylum because of her premonitions when a tracker named James was determined to drink her dry. I didn't do that, but an old vampire who worked in the asylum, to protect her from James. Emmet was mauled by a bear and was dying. Rosalie carried him over the Appalachian's to me and I changed him, just before he died. Edward was dying of the Spanish Influenza, his family already victim to it and gone, Rosalie was brutally raped and beaten, dying in the streets and Jasper was already changed and met Alice in a diner and adapted to our ways, due to the fact that Alice is his mate. Emmet is Rosalie's mate. Edward and Esme have no mate, but Bella is my mate. I can't just change you."

"Okay, I understand Carlisle. I really do. I understand that you can't change me, though it infuriates and hurts me to no end, I understand. So you're just going to take my daughter off to Alaska and keep her there away from me. I understand, Carlisle! This is how it is, because you say so!" Charlie pretended to storm out of the room, but stopped in the hallway and drew his pistol, smiling to himself, pointed it at his leg and fired a bullet into his upper thigh. He dropped like a stone, the shock immediately kicking in. He remembered looking up at the deeply stained paneling of the ceiling in this wide open home and the black creeping in at the edges of his vision. In the distance it sounded as if a car were pulling into the driveway. Something in him seemed to call out to something outside, but it came closer with every second. He had no idea what it was, but he wanted it nearer to him.

Carlisle rushed out. "Oh, no. Oh, God,Charlie." Charlie gushed blood from his femoral artery just as Bella had. Carlisle heard Esme, Rosalie, and Emmet approaching the door. "Help me, Esme! I need help up hear!" He fished around for the gushing end of Carlisle's femoral artery, but it had pulled up inside of his leg. Carlisle cursed and tried everything that he knew to retrieve the artery.

"What in God's name is going on here?" Rosalie wailed as she put her hand over her nose and ran outside with Emmet. Esme climbed the stairs, holding her breath and saw the scene before her. She asked no questions, just assisted Carlisle as he tried to stop Charlie's bleeding. Shaking his head, he couldn't get in under control. The artery kept slipping up into his thigh, no matter what experience that Carlisle had in medicine, no matter what he tried, some things were just outside of a doctor's reach. Carlisle tied a tourniquet tight onto Charlie's upper thigh as Esme put pressure on the wound and began biting Charlie. She had never bitten anyone before, but for some reason, she couldn't help herself. She did not drink from him, but great pools of venom gathered in her mouth. Her mind was dead set on saving this man's life. The effect had her boggled, but she kept biting, until she couldn't bite anymore. She straightened up and looked into his face. This was Charlie Swan. She had never realized how handsome that Charlie was before.

"He tricked me!" Carlisle yelled, extremely emotional. "He wouldn't leave without Bella. He shot himself in the leg, just so that he would be changed, too."

Esme stared down into Charlie's pale face and he smiled up at her. "Are you an angel?" Was the last thing that he said before he succumbed to his injuries. Esme felt an electric jolt in her chest as she touched his face. "Oh, dear God!" Carlisle looked at her, realizing what had just happened, shaking his head at the craziness, but smiling at the fact that his best friend had just happened to find her mate, the father to his own mate. Esme held onto his hand and placed it on her chest, transfixed on his face.

Carlisle began doing bouts of CPR on Charlie to keep his heart going long enough for the venom to spread. If the venom could only reach his artery, the wound would take care of itself. Carlisle kept on, until Esme pushed him aside. He's mine. I'll take it from here. She didn't wait for an answer, just swatted Carlisle's hands aside and tirelessly, yet carefully manually pumped Charlie's chest for him. "Oh, no you don't." She spoke to his unconscious form. "I've just found you. "You're not going anywhere, Swan." Though she pumped constantly, Esme had a look of pure, bright, love on her face as she pushed and pushed, finally seeing the bleeding stop at his femoral artery. She put her ear to his chest, suddenly panicked, but smiled brightly when she heard his heart pumping strongly. "Come back to me, my love. I am here waiting for you."

Rosalie came into the room, hand still over her face. "I just heard from Jenks. There will be a helicopter here in fifteen minutes. What the hell happened here?" She asked, staring at the carnage before her.

"Later, Rose, Carlisle cried out, while mopping up any traces of blood. It was a lot of blood to take even for Carlisle. Finally, Charlie and Bella were stable and they loaded them into the helicopter, forever deserting their home in Forks, knowing that they had broken the treaty. It was on to Denali and anywhere else but Forks.

The helicopter ride to the plane was deathly quiet as Carlisle held Bella to him and Esme, lovingly held Charlie's hand, stroking his cheek every now and then. Finally they landed on the tarmac and the two patients were loaded onto the Lear Jet on stretchers as the pilots were each paid a year's salary to keep their mouths shut. Obviously this was a powerful family and each chose to take the money and keep their lives.

Carlisle looked around, once Bella and Charlie were laid on the bed in the back of the plane. "Where is Edward?"

"He wouldn't come. I believe that his exact words were, let Carlisle take care of his own damn mate." Esme reluctantly explained. A deep rumble issued forth from Carlisle's chest.

"If he so much as looks at her wrong, then he can go beg the Denali clan for quarters and put up with the Denali sisters for the rest of eternity. He will not disrespect Bella in any way."

Esme flinched, but knew better than to challenge Carlisle. She also understood and agreed with him. Edward needed to get his act together, or there would be no room for him in the family.

Bella could hear Charlie arguing with Carlisle in Carlisle's office and wanted to scream for him to stop, but she couldn't form words at the horrible feeling of a raging fire burning through her body. Tears fell from under her closed eyelids and then she heard the shot. The agony that she felt, was unlike anything that she had experience in her life. It seemed like an eternity before Carlisle announced that Charlie was stabilized enough to be transported. Oh, Charlie. She thought to herself and loved her Father in a new way for what he had done for her. What life he had given up for the life of an immortal. It was so unlike Charlie, that it stunned her, yet caused gratitude to flare up in her already blazing chest. Before they knew it, they were unloading them in Denali. Each movement of her body was pure torture. She felt herself being laid on a bed and then darkness for a while, she woke up once more to the torture, a hand on her wrist, checking her pulse. The hand didn't seem cold this time and vaguely she wondered if it was human, before she passed out once again.

Each time that she would wake would be a living torment. She wanted to scratch her skin off to get out of her body, but her body wouldn't comply. She heard voices speaking to her through the flames. "I love you, Bella. Only one more day. Come back to me, my love."

"Bella, please don't ever think that I would harbor hard feelings toward you, my dear sweet, daughter. I love you, honey. It will be done soon."

"I've dressed you and done your hair, Bella. Oh, I just don't know what to do for you. I'm sorry about the pain. It will go away." Alice touched her hand, not realizing that the pain was almost beyond measure, before leaving the room.

Jasper must have sat in the corner for hours, trying to absorb all of the pain and torment that he could, but he would leave exhausted after only a few hours.

"Hang in there, little sis. You're going to be one ass kickin' bear beatin' vamp, girl. It'll be done soon. You'll see.

Finally, she heard Rose. "Well, I guess that you got what you always wanted. I'm sorry that it happened the way that it did. Anyway, I hope that you wake up soon. I know that it's hard.

Suddenly the pain centralized to Bella's heart and it felt as if it would explode and then, nothing. No pain, no breathing, yet she was still laying on the bed. Was she dead? She opened her eyes and immediately saw Carlisle and Esme's faces. She sat up rather quickly and huddled into Carlisle's waiting arms. "There, there, now. It's over honey. Do you know how beautiful that you are?" Bella only cuddled in closer to his chest that was now the same temperature as her own. Esme gently caressed her hair. "Ah, such hair. I'm jealous. It's so good to have you back, Bella!" Esme had an overflow of emotion as she hugged Bella from behind and left Bella and Carlisle together. She was in quite a hurry to get somewhere else.

"Does your throat burn, honey?" Carlisle gently held Bella, rocking her back and forth.

Bella nodded her head.

"Okay, let's take you out to hunt. It will be better after you hunt."

Bella was surprised when there was no pain or soreness in her muscles as she gracefully took off after Carlisle. They must have run five miles and Bella felt as if she had just walked three feet. There was no feeling of being fatigued or out of breath and then her nose caught a scent. She wanted it. "Take it, Bella. Just follow your instincts. Bella walked silently through the underbrush and over a hill to find two grazing deer. With almost no warning or sound, she jumped on one, bringing it down and sunk her teeth in, drinking the soothing and delicious blood as it acted as balm to her burning throat. Finishing the deer, Carlisle showed her how to bury it and had to hold himself back from taking Bella right there. The sight of her hunting was so arousing to him. So as not to overwhelm her, he instead focused on his own thirst, tracking what smelled like mountain lion. Surprised, he heard two others on their right. It was Charlie and Esme. They ran together. Carlisle smiled to himself and took off after the mountain lion, Bella close behind.

With everyone sated, they sat Bella and Charlie down in the living room and began to explain to them the important precautions that they must take as newborns.

Finally, Carlisle took Bella back up to their bedroom and stood behind her as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her skin glowed, her hair shimmered and had lengthened into a thick shimmering mass past her bottom. Her breasts were a bit fuller and she had the build of an accomplished athlete. She hardly recognized herself, but she was pleased. She felt graceful and truly naturally beautiful for the first time in her life.

"If only I didn't have these red eyes." She complained to Carlisle. "They give me the creeps."

"If they bother you that much, we can get contacts for you, my love, but for now, I want my mate and I want her with all of the strength that she has in her.

She caught his scent, stronger than ever. "Mine." Came out of her mouth, before she clapped a hand over it. "I'm so sorry Carlisle. I don't know where that came from!"

"I do." Carlisle said, kissing a line up her neck. "We're mates, Bella, and we belong to each other. I just happen to find it incredibly sexy when you claim me like that." He pulled her hard against him. She could feel nerve endings being stimulated by her breasts being pressed against him, that she had never felt before. She felt herself make a purring sound from deep within her throat, which seemed to excite Carlisle as he ripped both of their clothes from their bodies. Picking her up, he carried over to the wall and placed her hands above her headand tasted every inch of her body until she was keening with thepleasure. When she needed him, beyond reason, she began to writhe her hips against him. Finding a newfound confidence in her newborn state, she whispered into his ear, "I know you want it as bad as I do, so let's see what you can do to this body. I can take whatever it is that you've got to give, so what can you give me, huh?"

Carlisle growled, a deep rumble from his own chest and slammed into her, causing her to cum at once at the penetration. It was amazing what this new body of hers was capable of feeling. With each thrust, she seemed to experience the equivalent to a human orgasm. She was barely in control when she managed to wrap her legs around him tighter, moving up and down on him. She pounded into him, meeting him thrust for thrust, until she found a release that surely would have killed her human body as she threw her head back hard and let out a hoarse yell. Carlisle soon followed and as soon as he was done, he carried her over to the bed. The night was theirs, every second of it and they used the darkness to fulfill each mated fantasy that they had. By morning, Bella was far from inexperienced. She smiled, satisfied, giggling as he lay behind her, kissing her neck, at the indentation in the wall that her head had left, during her first, ultimate climax.


End file.
